


Something About Us

by rubyblack_rose



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Implied past Tauradonna, Quicksilver (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-06-11 16:57:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15320010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubyblack_rose/pseuds/rubyblack_rose
Summary: "Um, I'm Ruby! Are you..." She had started to ask if the girl was new when she noticed the boy standing beside her and trailed off.Silver eyes met dark gray and then...In Remnant, there exists something called the SoulBond--a bond between two soulmates, only formed when they make eye contact for the first time. The bond comes with many side effects--some good, some bad--and it's impossible to break. What happens when a pair of soulmates happen to be on opposing sides of an incoming war? Will one of them turn or will they fight each other, and the bond they now share? How will they handle the bond and everything that comes with it?***Follows the canon plot as closely as possible. Ratings and warnings could change in the future, although they probably won't. Will also add tags/characters/ships as they appear!





	1. Eye Contact

“I’ll be right back!” Ruby called over her shoulder as she dashed out of the dorm room she shared with her teammates. She turned to face forward just as she collided with someone.

She cried out in surprise as she fell backwards onto the hallway floor. “Oh, gosh,” she muttered, embarrassed. She looked up at the person she had just run into, tilting her head slightly to one side. “Sorry. Are- are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” the girl replied in a cool voice, holding out a hand. She had dark skin, mint green hair, and crimson eyes. “Just watch where you’re going.” She offered a small, friendly smile as if to say, “No harm done.”

“Oh, heh-heh, right… Sorry.” Ruby took the girl’s hand and let her pull her to her feet. Once standing, she released the girl’s hand and introduced herself. “Um, I’m Ruby! Are you…” She had started to ask the girl if she was new here—Ruby hadn’t seen her around before—when she noticed the boy standing beside her and trailed off.

Silver eyes met dark gray and then…

A loud ringing noise pierced through Ruby’s skull and she cried out in pain, falling to her knees. She cradled her head in her hands and curled up into the fetal position on the floor. Tears were streaming down her face and she could feel herself screaming, though she couldn’t hear anything above the ringing.

There was a burning sensation on her upper back, near her left shoulder, as if someone had heated the tip of a blade and was now carving something into her skin. She felt something wet run down her back.

She was no longer aware of the world around her. The pain and the noise were the only things that mattered—everything else was blocked out completely.

The agony only lasted about a minute, but it felt to Ruby like an eternity. All at once, everything began to fade away. The ringing grew quiet and disappeared. The pulsing pain in her head became a dull ache. The burning changed to a light stinging.

Ruby felt dizzy, like her head was spinning. Her hands clutched the sides of her head, fingernails digging into her scalp. The ringing now gone, she thought she could hear voices in the distance. She couldn’t make out what they were saying or even who they belonged to.

And then she couldn’t hear anything.

* * *

When she woke up, she was laying in a bed in Beacon’s infirmary, surrounded by the worried faces of her teammates.

“Ruby!” Yang launched herself at her younger sister, throwing her arms around her and pulling her into a tight, but gentle, hug.

“Yang?” Ruby croaked, her voice hoarse. She cleared her throat. “What happened?”

“We should be asking you that,” Blake replied. “We found you unconscious in the hallway.”

“You were bleeding,” Weiss added, her voice uncharacteristically soft. Ruby noticed that her face was also a bit paler than usual.

“We heard you screaming.” Yang pulled away from Ruby, but kept a hold of her arms, as if she didn’t want to let go of her completely. Tears had begun to form in the corners of her eyes. “Ruby, what happened?”

Ruby paused, her mind going blank as she tried to remember. She’d left the dorm to get her board game from the library, ran into a strange girl in the hallway, and then…

“The boy,” Ruby suddenly gasped, her eyes widening as the memories came back to her. Her teammates stared at her, expressions blank. “What happened to the boy? Where is he?” She looked past her teammates at the other beds in the room, all of them empty.

She frowned, wondering if he didn’t go through the same thing she did.

“What boy?” Blake asked her, puzzled. “You were alone when we found you.”

“I...” Ruby’s frown deepened as she processed that information. “I was? But...”

“Ruby,” Weiss stepped forward, her voice a bit stronger this time. There was also more color in her face; she appeared to have regained her composure. “What’s going on?”

Just as Ruby opened her mouth to respond, the door to the infirmary opened and the nurse stepped in, Professor Ozpin right behind her.

“Miss Rose,” Ozpin greeted with a warm smile. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay,” Ruby answered, her voice filled with uncertainty. “I have a bit of a headache, though.”

Ozpin chuckled quietly and nodded. “That is to be expected, after what you went through tonight.”

“Yeah, about that.” Ruby fidgeted with the edge of the blanket. “What happened to me?”

“That’s what I came to talk to you about,” Ozpin replied. He took a short sip from his mug. “Have you ever heard of soulmates?”

“Soulmates?” Ruby repeated. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Blake stiffen. “No.”

“It is believed that soulmates are two people who are destined to be together,” Ozpin explained. “When you make eye contact with your soulmate, you form a bond with them.”

“What kind of a bond?” Yang asked, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

“A sort of… psychic bond,” Ozpin answered. “It’s difficult to put into words, but that is the best I can describe it.”

Weiss scoffed. “No way.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her nose up. “That’s impossible. I don’t believe it.”

Ozpin merely smiled at her before turning his gaze back to Ruby. “A bond between two soulmates is also called the soulbond. A soulbond is extremely rare, so rare that most people don’t even believe it exists.” He glanced at Weiss as he said this, then back to Ruby. “The best way to tell if you have been bonded is by the mark.”

“Mark?” RWBY repeated in unison.

“Yes.” Ozpin gestured to Ruby’s left shoulder, which—she had just now noticed—had been covered by a large, square-shaped bandage. “When a soulbond is formed, your soulmate’s emblem appears on the back of your left shoulder as physical proof that you are bonded to one another.”

Ruby reached up and brushed her fingers along the edge of the bandage. Hesitating, she glanced over at the nurse for permission. “Can I…?”

The nurse, who had been standing silently by her desk this whole time, nodded once.

Ruby pulled the bandage off slowly, letting out a small squeak as it revealed what appeared to be a tattoo on her skin. A gray boot with a wing on the ankle.

“Wh-what--”

“That is your soulmate’s emblem,” Ozpin said, taking another sip from his mug. “It’s proof that you are bonded.”

Ruby lightly brushed her fingertips over the mark, mouth open in awe.

Yang was also staring at the mark. “That’s so _awesome_!” She cried, lunging towards her sister and enveloping her in another hug, squeezing her a bit tighter this time. “My baby sister has a _soulmate_!”

“Yang,” Ruby gasped, trying to wriggle out of her sister’s grip. “You’re squishing me!”

Yang laughed and released her. “Sorry, Sis. I’m just so excited for you!” She rested a hand on Ruby’s right shoulder and grinned.

“Ruby.”

The girls all turned to look at Ozpin.

“If I may ask, who did you bond with?” His flicked around to the empty beds.

“I don’t know his name,” Ruby answered somewhat sheepishly, her eyes falling to her lap. “I didn’t get a chance to ask.”

Ozpin nodded and took another thoughtful sip.

“I was wondering about that, actually.” All eyes in the room turning to Blake. “Ruby’s bond-mate should have gone through the same experience as her. Why isn’t he here?”

* * *

Mercury woke with a groan. He felt like crap—there was a dull ache in his head, the back of his shoulder felt like it’d been stung by a group of bees, and he was exhausted in every sense of the word.

He was laying on his stomach on the bed in his dorm room, and could feel a weight on his back, as if someone was sitting on top of him.

“Finally awake?” That someone questioned. He felt something brush against the sensitive area on his back and he hissed, trying to squirm away from it.

“Hold still!” Emerald snapped, pressing her hand down on his right shoulder to hold him in place. “Unless you want to be covered in blood.”

“Blood?” Mercury ran a hand down his face and tried to remember what happened. Why was he bleeding?

The tip of Emerald’s finger brushed against that spot again and, again, he hissed in pain and tried to twist out of her grasp and away from her touch.

Emerald growled and held him down more firmly. “Will you _hold still_?” She barked, annoyed. “I can’t wash this properly if you keep squirming.”

“It _hurts_ ,” He snapped back through gritted teeth.

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a baby.” Despite her harsh response, she attempted to be more gentle, lightly swiping the wet cloth over his skin and avoiding any skin-to-skin contact with the new tattoo on his back.

After a few seconds, Mercury relaxed with a quiet sigh. He let a few moments of silence pass before he asked, “What happened?”

“You and that Ruby girl passed out in the hallway,” Emerald explained. “You both took one look at each other and just started screaming.” She paused, a smirk slowly forming on her face. “I know that you’ve bragged about ‘having a way with the ladies’ before Merc, but--”

“Shut up,” Mercury grumbled, interrupting her before she could get to the punchline. He buried his face against the bed.

She rolled her eyes again. “Cinder and I had to rush like hell to get you out of there.” She wadded up the bloodied wash cloth and tossed into the trash, glaring at the back of his head. “Do you know how much attention you could have drawn to us? We’re trying to be _undercover_ here, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbled, voice muffled by the bed. “Whatever.”

Emerald pursed her lips and glanced down at his back. “Nice tattoo, by the way.”

“Tattoo…?” Mercury sat up suddenly, twisting his head around to get a look at his back.

Emerald fell off of him with a surprised shriek, landing on the floor. She glared daggers up at him, her nostrils flaring with anger. “Mercury--!”

“What is _that_?” He exclaimed in shock, his eyes glued to the mark. It was on the back of his left shoulder, the tattoo of a red rose. But he didn’t remember ever getting a tattoo, and he certainly wouldn’t get one of a _flower_. He reached over and touched it lightly; it didn’t hurt the way it did when Emerald had touched it.

Emerald got back on her feet and brushed imaginary dust off of her pants. “You’re such an ass,” she mumbled. “I’m going to go get Cinder and let her know that you’re awake.”

Mercury waved her away dismissively and with a huff, she turned on her heel and stalked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Once she was gone, Mercury climbed off of the bed and hurried across the room to the mirror hanging on the wall. He turned so that his back face the mirror and peered over his shoulder at the reflection, trying to get a better look at the tattoo.

He stared at it, wondering where the hell it came from and what it meant. There was something about it… something he couldn’t figure out. He reached to touch it again.

The door reopened and Cinder stepped into the room with Emerald following behind her. Emerald closed the door and took a seat at Mercury’s desk.

“How do you feel, Mercury?” Cinder asked, no hint of any real care in her voice.

Mercury answered her anyway, and honestly. “Like shit,” he said. “Do you know what this is?” He turned his back to her, showing her the rose.

Instead of answering, Cinder pointed to his bed and commanded, “Sit.” He did as she said. “Have you ever heard of soulmates?”

“Can’t say that I have.”

“Soulmates are two people who are destined to be together by fate.”

Mercury scoffed, wanting to laugh at that. She couldn’t possibly be serious, could she?

The cold glare she sent his way said she could, and was.

“Soulmates are rare,” she continued. “When you make eye contact with them for the first time, a bond will form between you. The bond is unbreakable and comes with several… _interesting_ side effects.” She looked pointedly at his shoulder. “That mark is physical evidence of the bond.”

Mercury shifted uncomfortably on the edge of the bed. He crossed his arms over his bare chest, uneasiness twisting around in his belly. “So, I have a soulmate?”

“It would appear so.” Cinder replied, her voice and expression remaining neutral, adding to Mercury’s feeling of unease.

The room was silent for several long minutes. Emerald’s eyes flicked between them, from one to the other, nervously. Cinder watched Mercury with a heavy, unreadable stare. Mercury looked anywhere but back at her, his fingers absently rubbing at the mark.

“What now?” Mercury finally asked, his voice quiet.

“Now,” Cinder replied, “we use your new bond to our advantage.”

Mercury looked up at her, surprised. He’d expected her to say that the bond had made him useless to her, a liability. He’d expected her to kill him. “What do you mean?”

“That girl is the same girl who keeps getting in Roman’s way,” she replied. “Use your new bond to get close to her and her friends, and make sure that they stay out of our way.” She looked over at Emerald. “You, too, of course.”

Emerald nodded obediently. “Yes, ma’am.”

Mercury wanted to roll his eyes at her.

“Good.” Cinder turned and walked to the door. Resting her hand on the knob, she turned back to them. “Get ready for bed,” she ordered. “Your new mission starts tomorrow.” With that, she opened the door and left the room.

* * *

Ozpin had insisted that Ruby stay in the infirmary for the rest of the night so that the nurse could watch her and make sure everything was normal. He had promised that he would be back in the morning before classes started to check on her. In the meantime, he was going to call her father to inform him that his daughter had bonded to someone.

Ruby wasn’t looking forward to the awkward conversation that would entail once she got to see her dad again.

Laying in the infirmary bed, Ruby stared up at the ceiling and thought about the events of that evening. She had a soulmate. She had been bonded to a boy whose name she didn’t even know yet.

She turned onto her side and thought about him. She squeezed her eyes shut so she could picture him better in her mind. Silver hair, dark gray eyes…

She remembered the feeling that had passed between them in the split second before the pain started. She could even feel it now, laying in the infirmary. A _pull_.

It was trying to urge her out of bed, past the door, into the hallway and down the left…

The door to the infirmary opened then, and Ruby’s eyes snapped open. She shot to a sitting position, all of her attention focused on the door. It was a strange reaction, one that surprised even her.

She relaxed, a bit disappointed, when she saw that it was just Blake who had entered.

The nurse looked up from her desk and frowned. “Miss Belladonna?”

“May I talk to Ruby for a couple of minutes?” Blake asked in her usual quiet and respectful tone of voice. “Please?”

The nurse thought it over for a moment before nodding. “A few minutes.”

Blake smiled at her gratefully. “Thank you, ma’am.”

The nurse decided to give them a few minutes alone and left the room.

Blake sat down in the chair next to Ruby’s bed. “How are you feeling?”

Ruby gave her a reassuring smile. “Oh, you know,” she replied, trying to keep her voice light. “I’ve had better days. What are you doing here?”

Blake looked down at her lap, fidgeting with her hands. She remained quiet for a few seconds before looking back up at Ruby. “I wanted to show you something.”

Ruby frowned, confused, and raised an eyebrow. “Show me what?”

Blake stood and grabbed the hem of her pajama shirt, pulling it over her head.

“Blake? What are you--” Ruby stopped mid-sentence as Blake turned to show her back to Ruby. Her eyes found it, what Blake had wanted to show her—a mark, an emblem, on the back of her left shoulder. It was similar to Ruby’s emblem, a red rose but with a stem and a slightly different shape.

But there was something else. A scar, crossed diagonally over the mark, as if someone had stabbed her there.

“You have a soulmate?” Ruby asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Without thinking, she reached her hand out.

“Sort of.” Blake shifted uncomfortably on her feet and began to pull her shirt back on.

“What is this scar?” Ruby’s fingers had barely brushed over the mark when Blake suddenly hissed and flinched away from her reaching hand. She turned to scowl at Ruby after yanking her shirt back down over her head.

Ruby blinked at her, eyes wide. “I-I’m sorry,” she stammered, a soft blush lighting up her cheeks.

Blake’s expression melted into something warmer, and she sighed. “No, I’m sorry,” she said. “When anyone other than me or my soulmate touches the mark, it burns.”

“Oh.” Ruby looked down, a bit ashamed of herself. “I’m sorry," she repeated.

Blake shook her head and smiled. “No, it’s okay,” she assured her, her voice soft and understanding. “You didn’t know.” She sank back down into the chair by Ruby’s bed and the two fell into silence once again.

“So, why is there a scar over it? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking. You don’t have to tell me if you don't want to. I totally understand. I was just curious...” Ruby rambled, her eyes on her lap, voice growing quieter with each word.

Blake chewed on her lower lip, thinking. “I’ll tell you later,” she promised, and stood up. “I should go. Get some rest. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.” She hesitated, then surprised Ruby by leaning over and giving her a quick, gentle hug. Then she stepped away and walked out of the room.

When the nurse returned a couple of minutes later, Ruby had already fallen asleep.


	2. Information

Ruby woke up the next morning to the nurse gently shaking her and calling out her name in a soft voice. “Miss Rose, classes start in thirty minutes.”

Ruby made a noise of acknowledgement before rolling over onto her other side. “Five more minutes,” she mumbled into her pillow.

“Miss Rose.” There was an edge to the nurse’s voice this time and she shook Ruby a bit more firmly. “You might want to return to your dorm to get ready--” She stopped abruptly and pulled her hand away. When she spoke again, she seemed to be speaking to someone else in the room. “Ah, good morning, Miss Xiao-Long. What did you need?”

“Good morning!” Ruby heard Yang chirp in response. “I brought Ruby’s uniform. Is she awake yet?”

“Not quite.” The nurse let out an exasperated sigh. “I’ve been trying to rouse her for the past fifteen minutes; I’m afraid she’s going to be late for class.”

Yang giggled, not at all surprised. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

A few seconds later, Ruby’s scroll began to ring beneath her pillow. Ruby groaned and reached under her pillow to grab it. She pulled it out and pressed it to her ear. “Hello?”

Yang’s voice sounded from two places at once--the other side of the scroll and the other side of the room--as she yelled, _“Wake up!”_

Ruby shrieked and chucked the scroll away from her as she rolled backwards off of the bed, landing on the floor with a _thud!_ Her scroll slid across the floor, stopping against Yang’s foot.

Ruby’s head popped up from the side of the bed and she glared at Yang, who was doubled over and laughing, clutching her stomach with one arm. The nurse stood by her desk, hiding her smile behind her hand.

“Yang!” Ruby shouted, her face flushed with embarrassment. She jumped to her feet and stalked across the room to her older sister. “What was _that_?”

“A wake-up call!” Yang announced, a proud grin stretched across her face.

Ruby huffed and bent down to retrieve her scroll from the floor, looking it over for any damages. She let out a relieved sigh when she didn’t find any.

Yang stepped over to Ruby and threw an arm across her shoulders. “How’d you sleep, Sis?”

Ruby shrugged off Yang’s arm and stepped away from her, still feeling annoyed over her little prank. “I was sleeping just _fine_ before you ruined it with your dumb pun.”

“Dumb? I think you mean ‘genius’.” Yang walked over to the chair by Ruby’s bed and picked up the folded uniform she’d left there. She returned to Ruby’s side and handed it to her. “I brought you your uniform. Classes start in less than twenty minutes, so you better hurry up and get ready. Weiss will give you an earful if you’re late.”

“Right.” Ruby took the uniform from her. “Thanks.”

Yang turned to leave, but Ruby reached out and stopped her. “Wait! Um, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure.”

“I’ll give you some privacy.” The nurse stood from her desk and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

“So, what’s up?” Yang plopped down on the bed opposite Ruby’s and smiled at her little sister patiently.

“Well, it’s about the whole soulmate thing,” Ruby started as she began to take off her pajamas.

“Mhm?”

Ruby took a deep breath and decided to just ask. “Why are you so excited about it?” She slid her legs through her skirt and pulled it up to her hips, then zipped it. She’d been thinking about Yang’s excitement, and her own lack thereof, since the night before. It had been bothering her--she would have expected their reactions to be the opposite.

“What do you mean? You aren’t excited?” Yang tilted her head to the side, a puzzled expression on her face.

“I want to be,” Ruby replied honestly. She pulled her shirt on and buttoned up the front, then tied the ribbon into a bow. “But I’ve never thought about relationships; I’ve always been so focused on becoming a huntress and helping people.” She shoved her arms into the jacket of her uniform and started to button up the front. “And on top of that, we’ve agreed to help Blake figure out what’s going on with Torchwick and the White Fang. I don’t want my soulmate involved in that--it’s dangerous!” Then she gasped, even more problems flooding her mind. “What if Torchwick or someone finds out about him and targets him? What if--”

“Ruby, calm down.” Yang stood and reached out to her sister, placing her hands on her shoulders. “I understand your concerns, but I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Especially that last part; if he’s here, then he’s studying to become a hunter, too. Danger is part of the job.”

“What about the bond, Yang? What if it influences my mind and forces me to fall in love with him or something? Would it even be real?”

“Take a deep breath,” Yang instructed.

Ruby did as she said, inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth a few times, slowly.

“Good. Now, do you want to know what I think?”

Ruby nodded, watching her sister with huge, desperate eyes.

“I think that soulmates don’t have to be romantic,” Yang said. “This guy could just be like the brother you never had. Like a really close best friend. And if the bond is supposed to be romantic, who’s to say that your love for him wouldn’t be real? If soulmates are people that are meant to be together, like Ozpin said, then maybe the bond just guarantees that you get together.”

“But isn’t that the same thing as forcing us to fall in love?” Ruby questioned, confused.

“No. Soulmates are people that are meant to be together, right? Even without the bond, these people would be meant to be and fall in love. Like I said, maybe the bond just guarantees that you guys get together. Get what I mean?”

Ruby thought about it for a moment before answering, “Not really.”

Yang sighed. “I tried. Anyway, my point is, the bond doesn’t have to be romantic and even if it is, I don’t think your feelings would be fake. And I’m excited for you because, platonic or romantic, you have someone who’s destined to be by your side. They’ll always love you, for you, and be there for you. I guess I’m excited because it means I don’t have to worry about you too much.”

“But Yang… I have you.”

Yang’s eyes widened as if she wasn’t expecting that response. “Awww, Ruby!” She reached out and wrapped Ruby up in a tight, bone-crushing hug.

“Yang,” Ruby gasped, squirming in her sister’s grasp. “Need. Air.”

“Whoops.” Yang released her with a giggle. “Sorry about that, Sis.” As Ruby straightened out her uniform, Yang glanced up at the clock on the wall. “Well, class starts in almost five minutes. You want to walk there together?”

“Yeah.” They started to walk out of the room together before Ruby suddenly stopped. “Oh, wait! Does my hair look okay?” She frantically scanned the room for a mirror.

“You’ve got a bit of bedhead, but it’s no big deal. I’m sure Weiss carries a comb that you can borrow. Come on.” Yang grabbed her sister’s sleeve and started tugging her along. Ruby was using her free hand to comb through her hair.

Yang opened the door, jumping when she almost ran into someone. “Oh, sorry! Professor Ozpin?” She smiled up at the headmaster. “What are you doing here?”

He returned her smile with his own and answered, “Good morning, Miss Xiao-Long. I just stopped by to check on Ruby.” He spotted the young girl over Yang’s shoulder and addressed her. “Miss Rose, how are you feeling?”

“Oh, um, better,” Ruby answered with a polite smile. “We were just on our way to class.”

“Good. Before you go, I wanted to ask if you and your soulmate would meet me in my office after classes are over for the day. I wanted to talk to the both of you about the bond, as I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”

Ruby frowned quizzically at that. “You know a lot about the bond, Professor?”

“Not a lot, no. The soulbond is a very mysterious phenomena, but I will tell you everything that I do know and do my best to answer any questions you two might have. I will also go over the most important part: the side effects.”

“Oh, okay. We’ll be there.” The words were out of her mouth before she could take them back. She wanted to kick herself; she didn’t even know her soulmate’s _name_ , how was she going to find him and convince him to go to Ozpin’s office with her?

“Glad to hear it. Now, you two should get going. Class starts in two minutes.”

* * *

 A few hours later, Mercury stood in line with Emerald, filling his tray with as much food as it could carry. Emerald was watching him with a disgusted look on her face.

“I lived on the streets for almost my entire life,” she was saying, “and even _I_ can’t eat that much food.”

Mercury shrugged and stacked some cookies onto the corner of the tray. “What can I say? I have a big appetite.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And a bottomless stomach?”

He turned his head to wink at her.

She rolled her eyes and picked up her tray, turning to face the rest of the cafeteria. Her eyes scanned every table in the room until she found the one she was looking for. She nudged Mercury with her elbow and nodded in Ruby’s direction. “Found her.”

Mercury looked up, following Emerald’s gaze to where Ruby sat with three other girls, presumably her teammates. They all seemed to fit the descriptions: the blonde bimbo, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, and the bookworm.

He turned back to his tray with a thoughtful frown. If he was going to get through this, he was going to need more food. He started adding double helpings of everything. The stack of cookies threatened to fall over and spill out all over the floor.

Emerald made a face. “Seriously?”

“Shut up,” he mumbled, “or I’ll go for triple.”

“ _Ugh_.” She waited as he finished covering every inch of his tray, and then the two walked together to Ruby’s table. They stopped at the end, and Emerald was the first to speak, “Mind if we join you guys?”

The four girls looked up in surprise. Ruby’s eyes widened and she made a strangled noise of surprise before stammering out a response. “O-of course! Have a seat!” She scooted to the side to make room. Across the table from her, the heiress did the same. “Um…”

“Mercury,” He said as he set down his tray and slid into the seat next to her. Emerald took the seat next to the heiress. “And this is my partner, Emerald.”

Emerald offered a friendly smile and a wave.

“I’m Ruby,” Ruby replied, then turned her teammates, gesturing to each of them as she introduced them. “This is my sister, Yang. Sitting next to her is Blake. And that’s Weiss.” Ruby leaned over, whispering--but still loud enough at everyone for the table to hear--“But we just call her the ‘Ice Queen’.”

“Hey!” Weiss’s head perked up at the nickname and she pouted, glaring at Ruby.

The three other girls laughed as Emerald and Mercury exchanged annoyed expressions.

“So, Mercury,” Yang said as they all started to settle back down. “You’re my sister’s soulmate?” She leaned over to get a better look at him, ignoring the glare Ruby shot her way. “Tell me, what are your _intentions_ with my little sister?” There was a wicked glint in her eyes; it almost scared Mercury. Almost.

“Yang,” Ruby hissed, a warning in her voice. Her cheeks were beginning to turn red from embarrassment.

Mercury raised an eyebrow. “My what?”

Emerald raised her hand to her mouth to cover her snicker.

“You heard me. What do you intend to do with my little sister now that you’ve bonded to her?”

Mercury wanted to point out that bonding with her precious little sister wasn’t his choice, but he bit his tongue. He was supposed to be making nice, not acting like… well, like himself. So instead, he summoned up a charming smile that everyone fell for and replied, “For now, I was just hoping to get to know her.”

“Ooh.” Yang leaned back, grinning. “Smooth. I accept.”

Ruby’s face was now the exact same shade as her hood and she was staring at her lap as if it was the most interesting thing in the room.

Mercury resisted the urge to roll his eyes at how easy that was, and turned his attention to his food. The stack of cookies had mysteriously fallen over, half of them now drowning in the lake of macaroni and cheese. He glanced up and narrowed his eyes at Emerald, who was quietly humming and looking quite pleased with herself.

“So, where are you guys from?” Yang asked. “Are you new to Beacon?”

“We’re from Haven,” Emerald answered, as Mercury was currently busy shovelling macaroni into his mouth. He wrinkled his nose in disgust; it tasted like chocolate.

“Ooh,” Ruby looked up with interest. “You’re here for the festival.”

Emerald nodded in confirmation.

Weiss frowned, raising an eyebrow. “Where are your other teammates?”

“Probably training,” Emerald replied with a shrug. “They weren’t hungry.”

“Oh, okay.”

They left it at that, falling quiet again. Yang turned to Blake, who was drawing in her notebook, and Weiss started to fool around on her scroll.

“Um, Mercury?”

Mercury took a short break from stuffing his face to look at Ruby, who wasn’t looking back at him. Instead, she was playing with her closed milk carton, tossing it from hand to hand as she spoke. “Professor Ozpin wants us to meet him in his office after classes are over,” she said.

“Why?”

She gave a little shrug and stopped tossing the milk carton long enough to open it. Then she stared into it, as if she wasn’t sure whether it was safe to drink or not. “He wants to talk to us about the bond and the side effects and all that.” She brought the carton to her lips and drank from it.

“Oh.” Mercury looked away, thinking. Cinder had assured him that Ozpin didn’t know who they were or why they were truly at Beacon. In that case, not attending the meeting would be more suspicious than attending. Drawing unwanted attention and unnecessary suspicion to his team was the last thing they needed, and Cinder would most assuredly kill him for it. Looking at it that way, it was clear that he didn’t have a choice.

“Okay,” he said finally, turning back to Ruby. “I’ll be there.”

Ruby looked at him then, a smile spreading across her face. “Really? That’s great! Should we meet somewhere, then? Maybe by the statue outside of the school?”

“Sure.”

Her smile widened and she turned to her tray with enthusiasm, practically devouring all of its contents in seconds. Mercury could only watch, momentarily stunned by that bright smile of hers.

When he finally managed to look away, he shook himself. _What the hell was_ that _?_

Across the table, Emerald was watching Ruby with squinted eyes. She turned away, unable to watch anymore, and gave Mercury a look that said, _Yup, that’s your soulmate._

* * *

 After classes had ended, Mercury found himself waiting for Ruby in front of the statue just outside of the school. He was sitting on the ground, leaning back against it, and playing a game on his scroll.

Nearly fifteen minutes had passed when he turned off the game and put his scroll away. He stood up and impatiently began to pace in front of the statue, irritated. Where was she? He _hated_ waiting. Why did he have to be the one to arrive first?

He felt it then, as he was thinking about her and where she could possibly be, a _pull_. Something, some type of force, was trying to pull him to the left as if being attracted by a magnet. He turned in that direction and spotted Ruby hurrying towards him.

She skidded to a stop in front of him. She’d been running, but she didn’t look winded, only tired. “I’m so sorry I’m late! Class ended a couple of minutes late and then I was talking to Blake and then I realized what time it was and--” She stopped in the middle of her rambling to take a breath. “I’m sorry. Were you waiting long?”

“Nah.” Mercury shrugged, managing to look indifferent despite the growing ball of irritation in his chest. “Don’t worry about it.”

She smiled, relieved. “Good! Are you ready to meet Professor Ozpin?”

“Yeah.” _Let’s get this over with._

The two walked side-by-side into the school and took the elevator up to the top of the tower, where Ozpin’s office was located. The ride up was silent--Ruby, too nervous to start a conversation and Mercury, too antisocial.

Professor Ozpin turned his chair when they arrived and stood to greet them. “Ah, Miss Rose.” His eyes switched over to Mercury. “And you must be her soulmate. What is your name?”

“Mercury Black,” Mercury replied as he scrutinized the headmaster. He didn’t know very much about Ozpin, but he could tell right then that there was something about the old man that was… _off_. He just couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Nice to meet you, Mister Black. Have a seat.” Ozpin gestured to the chairs that sat across the desk from his.

“You wanted to talk to us about the bond?” Ruby prompted as they sank into their chairs.

“Yes.” Ozpin lowered himself into his own chair and sat back, propping his left foot up onto his right knee. He steepled his fingers and regarded them both with a teacherly expression. “As I’ve mentioned to Miss Rose, the bond is a mysterious phenomena that is very rare. That being said, I don’t know very much about it, I’m afraid. But I will do my best to inform you of what I do know and answer any questions you have.” He paused, watching them both. They nodded in acknowledgement, prompting him to continue.

“Reports of people becoming bonded to one another started many, many years ago--spanning decades, even centuries. All of them say the same things, such as how the bond formed and the side effects that they experienced.

“The bond forms when two people who are soulmates make eye contact for the very first time. There are limitations, however.”

“Limitations?” Ruby’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Only those with unlocked auras can form a bond with their soulmate,” Ozpin answered. He was still watching them both with an attentive expression; it was beginning to creep Mercury out.

Ruby and Mercury both raised their eyebrows, taken aback by this bit of information. Ruby’s eyes widened in wonder and she leaned forward. “Really? Why is that?”

“You remember the pain that was brought on by the bond’s formation?” Their faces paled slightly and they flinched at the memory. They nodded. “That pain was a result of your auras reaching out and connecting to each other. Something that is not possible for those whose auras are still locked.”

“But… everyone has a soul,” Ruby argued. “So isn’t it possible for those without their auras unlocked to have soulmates?”

“Of course,” Ozpin replied. “But without their auras unlocked, the bond cannot form. We know this to be true because, in all of the reports, every single bond was formed between two people whose auras had been unlocked.”

“So, if our auras are connected,” Mercury began, “what does that mean exactly? Are we able to use each other’s aura?” The thought was troubling. Mercury had always hated sharing.

Ozpin shook his head. “No. Your auras are connected, but it is more of a symbolic link than anything else. You cannot use each other’s aura or semblance.”

 _Whew_. “Okay.” Mercury leaned back in his chair, satisfied.

“However,” Ozpin leaned forward and picked up his mug from where it had been sitting on his desk. He took a short sip from it before continuing. “Your auras being connected does come with a few side effects.”

Ruby cocked her head to one side. “Side effects?”

“Yes.”

“Such as?” Mercury was annoyed. Couldn’t the old man just explain everything at once?

“A few things,” Ozpin said, and then began to list them, “Telepathy, the ability to communicate with each other via your thoughts. The ability to feel what the other person is feeling. And the ability to share your dreams with each other.”

For a moment, it was if time had frozen in that office. No one moved, or spoke, for what felt like the longest time as the two students took in what the professor had just said.

Ruby was staring at him with her mouth wide open, eyes filled with amazement. Mercury was looking at the old man as if he’d grown a second head.

Ozpin took another sip from his mug. “There’s also the ability to use your bond as a sort of compass,” he said, “to find each other. That particular symptom is immediate--in fact, I’ll bet that you’ve both already felt it by now. It feels like something is pulling you into a certain direction, an invisible force perhaps.”

They both shook their heads yes, still mute.

“That is the bond, trying to guide you to your soulmate. You should only feel it whenever you’re thinking about them.” He let that sink in, then said, “There are some unwanted side effects as well.”

Mercury wanted to snort. _Who said any of the other side effects are wanted?_

“To start with, the marks. If anyone other than yourself or your soulmate touches them, they will burn just as intensely as they did when they were first formed.”

Mercury winced and reached up to rest his right hand on his right shoulder, his fingers rubbing the mark through the fabric of his shirt. It explained why it had hurt so much when Emerald had brushed against it while wiping the blood off of his back.

“Why is that?” Ruby asked. When Mercury glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that she was doing the same thing that he was, her right hand clutching her left shoulder.

“No one knows for sure. There isn’t any way to find out.” Ozpin reached forward to set his mug back down on the desk, then leaned back again. “There is one more thing I must you warn you about, and then I’ll answer any questions you may still have.” They both looked at him, waiting.

“Distance,” Ozpin said. “No one is sure of the reason behind this either, but if you two get too far apart, it will strain the bond and may cause you to feel physically ill.”

Ruby and Mercury exchanged shocked glances. Mercury was beginning to feel a panic rising in his chest. _What?_ If he started to get sick whenever he was too far away from Ruby, Cinder would most assuredly kill him. He’d be less than useless to her anyway.

Not only that, but it forced him to be close to this girl. Something he was decidedly _not_ very happy about.

“Is there anyway to break the bond?”

Mercury turned his head to look fully at his soulmate, his eyes wide. Ruby refused to look back at him, keeping her eyes glued to her lap. Her ears were turning red.

Ozpin frowned at her, equally as confused as Mercury by her sudden question. “May I ask why you want to know, Miss Rose?”

“I was just wondering if anyone has tried to break the bond before,” Ruby answered, talking so fast that it was a wonder she didn’t trip over her words. “You know, if for some reason, they didn’t want to be bonded or something.”

Mercury couldn’t help feeling offended by the question. He recognized that it was stupid because he was literally just thinking about how he wasn’t happy at having to spend time with her, and it was even a question that he had been planning to ask Cinder later--but still, it’s not like he would have asked it _right in front of her_.

Ozpin didn’t look convinced, but he answered her question anyway. “No, the bond cannot be broken. Yes, people have tried. The bond can only be damaged, but not completely severed.”

“Oh.” Ruby nodded, accepting this. She still wouldn’t look up. “Okay.”

“Anymore questions?”

Mercury turned away from Ruby, crossing his arms. “Yeah, I have one,” he replied. “What does us being bonded mean? What do we do now?”

“That’s up to the two of you,” Ozpin replied simply. “You aren’t being forced to enter a relationship if that’s what you’re asking.”

His answer didn’t satisfy Mercury, so he tried to probe deeper, standing up from his chair. “What about the side effects? Especially the _distance_. What are we supposed to do when we start experiencing them?”

“That’s for you two to decide.”

Mercury narrowed his eyes at the headmaster. He could feel the frustration bubbling up inside of him from the lack of solid answers, but he decided to let it go. If he continued to argue, he could potentially cause trouble for his team going forward. Cinder was already going to be pissed about the distance thing, they didn’t need a whole other set of issues on top of that.

But Ruby wasn’t quite ready to drop it. “What about after the Vytal Festival, when Mercury has to go back to Haven?”

“That’s a good question,” Ozpin replied, his expression unreadable. “I’ll think about possible solutions. In the meantime, why don’t you two head back to your dorms? Unless you have any more questions for me?”

“No,” the two replied in unison.

“Alright. Then, goodnight, Miss Rose. Mister Black.”

“Thanks, Professor Ozpin.” Ruby stood and turned to leave the office. Mercury followed behind her.

“Whew,” Ruby said awkwardly as soon as they were in the elevator. “That was a lot to take in, huh?”

Mercury didn’t look at her, his jaw set. “Yeah.” He still couldn’t fathom why she had asked about breaking the bond in the first place, or why it was bothering him so much. He had been planning to ask Cinder the same thing after all, so why was he so pissed off that she had beaten him to it?

The rest of the elevator ride down was filled with an uncomfortable silence. Once it reached its destination, they walked together out of the building.

Mercury started to walk past her in the direction of the dormitory when she reached out and grabbed his elbow. “Mercury?”

He stiffened a bit and glanced over at her through squinted eyes. “What?”

She flinched at the chill in his voice, pulling her hand away. “I- I’m sorry if I offended you, when I asked if the bond could be broken. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

Mercury wanted to laugh in her face. Hurt his _feelings_? _Pfft._

“But I’ll make it up to you, I promise! Will you and Emerald sit with us at lunch again tomorrow?” She smiled up at him then, that same bright and positive smile that had left him in a weird trance earlier.

It didn’t have quite the same effect this time. He wanted to glare at her and flat-out tell her no, but he was soon reminded by the image of Cinder’s glowing eyes that he was supposed to be befriending this girl.

So, for now, he pushed his issues aside and countered Ruby’s sunny smile with his most charming one. “Yeah, count on it.”

* * *

 A few minutes later, he was in Cinder’s dorm with Cinder and Emerald, recapping everything to them that Ozpin had told him and Ruby. Well, everything except for the distance thing, of course; he just couldn’t bring himself to mention it yet.

When he was finished, neither of them said anything for several minutes as they processed all of the information. Mercury tried to read their faces--Emerald looked like she was questioning whether or not he was messing with them while Cinder looked as blank as ever.

After a long time, Cinder said, “Report to me if the side effects become a problem.” Then she turned away, pulling out her tablet and opening it.

Emerald and Mercury frowned at each other before looking at Cinder. “That’s it?” Emerald questioned.

“No.” Cinder looked up from her tablet. “Roman has a meeting with the White Fang tonight and it _must_ go as planned. I want you two to find your new friends and ensure that they don’t interfere this time.”

“Why would they know anything about a White Fang meeting?” Mercury asked.

“The one that interrupted Roman’s plans at the docks was a Faunus,” she replied. “He said that she spoke to the White Fang that were there as if she were one of them. She tried to dissuade them from working with him and I don’t want the same thing happening tonight. Go and make sure that it doesn’t.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Obediently, Emerald and Mercury walked through the halls to RWBY’s dorm. Mercury raised his fist and knocked on the door a few times, then stood back and waited. Minutes passed with no answer. He tried again.

Nothing.

He leaned forward and pressed his ear to the wood, but didn’t hear any noises from the other side. “Looks like no one’s home,” he said, stepping back again.

“Damn it, where are they?” Emerald growled, crossing her arms over her chest. She glared at the door as if it was responsible for their absence. “Do you think they went to the meeting?”

“I don’t know.” Mercury pushed a hand through his hair, agitated. He was wondering where they could be and if he and Emerald should risk sneaking into the meeting to find them when he felt it.

The _pull_. The bond.

_Ozpin said something about using the bond as a compass._

He turned to the right and started walking down the hall, letting the bond pull him gently along. “This way,” he called over his shoulder to Emerald.

She frowned at him, looking more than a little puzzled by his sudden confidence, as if he knew exactly where he was going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a bit late! I wanted to have it up by Monday, but some personal issues got in the way. Plus, I had to rewrite this chapter a few dozen times to get it where I wanted it and I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out. I hope you enjoy and I'll try my best to have chapter 3 up sooner this time!


	3. Where Are You?

Outside the CCT tower, Ruby was walking beside Weiss toward the front entrance. Several feet behind them, out of sight, Mercury and Emerald were watching them.

“I don’t see the other two,” Emerald noted aloud, her eyes scanning the area. “Do you think they went to the meeting?”

“Probably,” Mercury replied, looking around with her. He didn’t see any sign of them, either. “Which one is the Faunus?”

“Seriously?” Emerald rolled her eyes at him. “Obviously, it’s the one with the bow. And she’s not here.” She turned to look at him fully and said, “The other two must have gone to the meeting. I’m going to go and check. If we’re lucky, I’ll be able to intercept them before they even get inside.”

She turned to leave, and Mercury frowned. He called after her, “Hey, what am I supposed to do?”

Emerald didn’t turn around as she called back over her shoulder, “Keep an eye on them! Try and find out why they’re here. It might be important.”

Mercury snorted, doubting that, and turned back to watch Ruby and Weiss again. He noticed that Ruby was wearing a different outfit than she was earlier.

 _It looks good on her,_ he thought, and then immediately pushed that thought away. He scowled at her back, disgusted.

He watched as Ruby pulled something out of her pocket, only to immediately drop it and have it skid across the ground until it hit the tip of some girl’s shoes.

The girl, who had orange hair and was wearing a black and green futuristic outfit, picked up whatever Ruby had dropped and reached out to hand it back to her. Ruby, however, didn’t take it.

Mercury wished he could hear what they were saying. The girl was beginning to look panicked as she responded to whatever Ruby said. She tossed the object back to her, then quickly turned and began walking away.

Mercury narrowed his eyes at the exchange. _Definitely suspicious._ He tried to get a bit closer without drawing any attention to himself.

Ruby chased after the girl. He heard Weiss call out “Wait!” before glaring at her partner’s back and turning to walk into the tower.

Mercury paused, wondering if he should follow after Weiss or Ruby. Emerald did tell him to find out why they were at the tower, but the security was tight. He couldn’t just follow her inside without catching someone’s notice.

Besides, it might be worth it to find out who that girl is. Something about her… bothered him.

After deciding to follow Ruby, he turned back to find that she and the girl had disappeared. He focused on the bond again and it pulled him forward.

* * *

 

He found the two walking side-by-side a couple of minutes later and fell into step a few feet behind them. Far enough that they shouldn’t notice him, but close enough that he could still catch bits and pieces of their conversation.

“Why not let us know you were okay?” Ruby asked.

“I… was asked not to talk to you. Or Weiss. Or Blake. Or Yang. Anybody, really,” the girl answered. Mercury made a mental note of her voice and the way she spoke. Her voice sounded like any other girl’s, but the _way_ she talked was almost unnatural. Slow and kind of robotic.

“Was your dad that upset?”

“No, it wasn’t my father…” The girl trailed off with a frown. Before she could continue, a loud voice sounding from off to the left startled them.

The two girls stopped and peered around the corner to see what was going on. Mercury took a few steps back and looked through the alley between two nearby buildings. He saw a display of some sort--a hologram of General Ironwood stood in front of two large storage containers. Standing in front of those containers were robots.

“The AK-130 has been a standard security model of Remnant for several years, and they have done a fine job. Wouldn’t you agree? Wouldn’t you agree?”

As the audience cheered, the androids gave a jerky bow, their metal bodies screeching with the movement.

“But the kingdom of Atlas is a kingdom of innovation and…” _Blah, blah, blah._ Mercury stopped listening after that, bored. He hated speeches.

As Ironwood droned on, Mercury watched as the crates opened to reveal newer, shinier robots. The robots kicked their predecessors in the back and stepped forward, flexing for the crowd. The older robots crumpled forward, as if made out of aluminum foil instead of metal. Mercury snorted; _Pathetic_.

Mercury glanced back at Ruby and her friend. Ruby seemed interested in the display, perking up a bit as Ironwood talked. Her friend, on the other hand, appeared to be growing nervous.

“So, our kingdom’s greatest minds, in cooperation with the Schnee Dust Company, are proud to introduce… the Atlesian Paladin!”

That caught Mercury’s attention, and he turned back to the display just as Ironwood’s image was replaced with that of a giant mech. He raised an eyebrow, slightly impressed. _Not bad._

“Now, we couldn’t have him here for you today, but…” _Blah, blah, blah_. Mercury turned back to the girls to see their reactions.

Ruby’s friend appeared to be even more anxious than before, taking a few steps back. “Ruby?” She said. “Maybe we should go somewhere else.”

Ruby didn’t appear to be paying attention. She was hunched over, eyes and mouth wide open in awe. Mercury almost smiled at her, but caught himself. He quickly looked away from her and glared at the ground. What was _wrong_ with him today?

When he turned back, Ruby and her friend were gone. _Shit._

He thought about her, prompting the bond to pull him in her direction. He followed it, running across the street and down an alleyway. A few feet ahead of him, a pair of security guards were running in the same direction.

He wondered why. Were they going after Ruby? Or the other girl?

He spotted a flash of red several feet in front of the guards just as Ruby rounded the corner. She pulled out her scythe and slashed the beam of a platform holding up a stack of crates. The beam collapsed and the crates fell forward to block the path. Before they could, Mercury used them as a distraction, and braced himself. He shot his boots, using the recoil to propel himself forward, past the guards and the avalanche, ducking to avoid any crates falling his way.

On the other side, Ruby was now just ahead of him, and he watched as she leapt onto the wall before ricocheting off to grab her friend around the waist. There was a brief pause before the two took off, disappearing around the corner in a flash of rose petals.

Mercury frowned-- _What the hell was_ that _?_ \--and picked up his pace, rounding the corner soon after.

Up ahead, the girls crashed into the ground and Ruby rolled all the way into the middle of the street.

Mercury stopped a few feet behind the mystery girl, the two of them watching as Ruby slowly got to her feet, as if she were in a daze. She didn’t even seem to hear the honking of a horn as a truck came up behind her.

Before he realized what he was doing, Mercury stepped forward and braced himself, ready to shoot himself forward and push her out of the way.

But her friend beat him to it. The girl lunged forward and shoved Ruby aside, then turned and stretched out her arms, the hood of the truck colliding with her palms and crumpling against them. The ground beneath her feet cracked and crumbled into pieces around her. The back of the truck lifted slightly into the air.

Mercury stared at the scene in shock. This girl, whoever she was, had stopped a truck _with her bare hands_. But more importantly…

He had been about to save Ruby’s life. And why? For what reason? That was the part that infuriated him the most--he didn’t know. As he stood there, staring at the aftermath of the crash, he wracked his brain for a logical answer and, much to his growing frustration, didn’t find one.

He shouldn’t be concerned for her safety, no, he _wasn’t_ concerned for her safety. He shouldn’t-- _didn’t_ \--care if anything happened to her. If she had gotten hurt or died, it would have been her own fault, rolling into the street like that and not being fast enough to move out of the way.

Ruby’s friend suddenly took off across the street, bumping into Ruby as she passed by her. Ruby ran after her and, before he could follow, one of the guards ran past him after them. The other one stopped next to Mercury and grabbed him by the shoulder.

“Do you know them?” The guard asked, pointing in the direction that Ruby and her friend went.

Mercury didn’t even look at him, too preoccupied by his own thoughts. “No.”

The guard lingered for a moment, as if he wanted to question Mercury further, then released his shoulder and chased after his partner.

Mercury watched them go, a million thoughts swirling around in his head. And a theory.

He needed to talk to Cinder.

* * *

 

Emerald made it to the warehouse where the White Fang meeting was being held just in time to see the Faunus girl from team RWBY and some blonde guy with a tail bust through a window. A few seconds later, they were followed by a giant battle mech as it crashed through the whole wall. It was surprisingly fast for a giant hunk of metal, Emerald noticed.

Cursing under her breath, Emerald pulled out her scroll and started to run after them, dialing as she did so. She held the scroll to her ear and waited.

Mercury took three rings to answer. “What?”

“I was too late,” Emerald said, watching as the mech got further away. She tried to run faster, but it was no use--she was never going to be able to keep up with it. She slowed to a stop. “The Faunus girl and a friend of hers were chased out of the building by a mech. I’m not sure who’s piloting it, but it’s probably Torchwick.”

Mercury sighed, irritated, and mumbled something she didn’t catch.

“What should we do?” She asked him.

There was a short pause as Mercury gave it some thought. “Nothing.”

“ _Nothing_?” She repeated incredulously.

“Nothing.”

“Mercury--”

“If we join the fight, Torchwick will recognize us and blow our cover,” Mercury explained, sounding annoyed, like he couldn’t believe he had to explain this to her. “He chose to go after them. Let him deal with it.”

Emerald frowned; she wasn’t happy with this course of action, but she knew he was right. “Fine.” She hung up with a huff, disappointed. Cinder was going to be disappointed in her.

Behind her, Emerald heard the roar of an engine and turned to see the blonde bimbo on her motorcycle driving her way.

Emerald quickly ducked into the shadows of a nearby alley and watched the bike race past. There was a boy with electric blue hair sitting behind her.

_Who are those boys?_

Whoever they were, if they were hanging out with team RWBY, it meant they were trouble. She’d have to keep an eye on them, as well.

* * *

 

When she returned to Beacon, she reported to Cinder’s dorm to find Mercury already there. He was talking to Cinder, describing a girl he had seen with Ruby.

“She jumped in front of the truck,” he was saying, “and _stopped_ it with _her bare hands_.” He shook his head as he leaned back in the desk chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m telling you, there’s no way she’s human. She _dented_ the hood.”

“Hmm,” Cinder hummed, thinking about it. “Interesting.” She turned her gaze to Emerald. “Make a note. Find out who she is, and then add her to the list.”

Emerald pulled out her scroll and typed down what Mercury had said, including the description of the girl’s appearance.

As she did that, Cinder turned back to Mercury. “How do you feel?”

It took Mercury a second to figure out what she meant. He thought about all of the slip-ups he had today--the way he got offended when Ruby questioned Ozpin on how to break the bond, how he noticed her different outfit and even thought it looked good on her, and the moment he almost saved her life.

He looked Cinder straight in the eyes and answered with confidence, “Everything is good.” He sweetened his lie with his signature smirk.

“Good,” she said, satisfied. “Let me know if the bond becomes a problem.”

Again, he lied. “I will.”

* * *

 

Later that night, team RWBY returned to their dorms, having fought the mech in what Ruby would refer to as an “epic battle”.

“Ah, that was incredible!” She squealed, a bounce in her step. “The team attacks! The way Blake destroyed those missiles! And Yang!” She hopped over to her sister, grabbing her hands. “You were _awesome_!”

Yang laughed. “Yeah, I was,” she agreed with a wink.

The girls all laughed together, and then fell quiet as they began to get ready for bed.

As they were changing into their pajamas, Yang spoke up again. “Ruby, you never told us how your meeting with Ozpin went.”

“Yeah.” Weiss turned toward her as well. “What did he tell you about the bond?”

“Well.” Ruby sighed, looking back at her teammates as they all stared at her with curiosity in their eyes. Where was she going to start?

* * *

 

It was dark, nighttime. She was standing in the middle of a camp, surrounded by forest. She recognized this place.

 _Oh no._ Dread crept into her heart. This could only mean one thing.

“Blake.”

She turned around, golden eyes widening as they landed on him. Her soulmate. “Adam.”

She could feel his eyes burning through her skin from behind his mask. Before he changed, he had never worn it in their dreams. After, that mask became his identity. “Where are you?”

She took a step back, away from him, thinking of the way that she usually gets out of these situations. She found out a while ago that she couldn’t push him out of the dream, but she could create some distance, some obstacles.

She could run away, as she always did.

She thought of a mountain, attempted to will one into existence between them. She willed the ground to crack and split in two, willed the mountain to rise up from beneath and block her from his view.

It started to work. The ground shook as a crack split the ground between them, the ground shaking more violently as it began to open.

And then it stopped. The ground pulled itself back together, healed, and the shaking ceased.

“Nice try,” Adam said, his voice amused.

Blake took another fearful step back, and her back hit solid steel bars as a cage formed around her.

“But I’m the one in control here.” Adam walked forward, closing the distance between them. “Now, tell me, Blake. Where are you?”

“Adam, please.” The bars pressed against her back began to push her forward until she was nearly squished against the bars in front. She reached up and grabbed two of the bars, trying to push herself back. She willed, as hard as she could, for the bars at her back to give or disappear. They didn’t.

Adam reached up and ran a gloved finger down her cheek, sending an unpleasant shiver down her spine. He leaned in close enough for her to feel his breath on her lips. She could feel him looking into her eyes through the mask. When he spoke, his voice was low and threatening. “ _Where. Are. You?_ ”

Blake squeezed her eyes shut and turned her face away. She pushed back even harder against the bars. “Wake up,” she whispered to herself. “Wake up, wake up, wake up.”

Adam reached between the bars and grabbed her by the chin, jerking her face back to him. “That’s cute, Blake,” he growled. “ _Tell me where you are_.”

The bars pressed into her, her cage growing smaller around her. She let out a little gasp; he was going to kill her. It was just a dream, of course, so she would wake up, but he was actually going to _kill_ her.

With one final push of her mind, she was able to break through and force the cage around her to disappear. Free, she fell back onto the ground and immediately jumped back to her feet and turned, sprinting away.

“ _Blake!_ ” His angry cry followed her as though he was right behind her. When she looked back and saw him chasing her, she tried for the mountain again. This time, the ground split in two and the mountain rose from underneath with no resistance.

He cried out again from the other side, furious. “ _I’ll find you!_ ”

* * *

 

Blake woke with a gasp. She was back in her bed, at Beacon Academy. She wasn’t sure when the nightmare had ended, but she was more than glad that it had.

She sat up slowly as she got her bearings, and waited. Right on cue, the agony began. She threw back her blankets and ran out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom. She darted into a stall and practically threw herself against the toilet.

Her head felt as though Nora had taken her hammer to it, there was a sheen of sweat forming over her skin, and she could feel the bond _pulling_ her so fiercely that she was afraid it might tear her whole body apart. She could hear his voice in her thoughts, screaming at her--screaming her name and demanding to know where she was, insisting that he would find her someday. He told her that she couldn’t hide from him forever.

She waited, gripping the edges of the toilet seat, staring down into the bowl at the chucked-up food she’d eaten for dinner. The emblem on the back of her left shoulder was burning, much worse than when it had first formed. She could feel her blood running down her back.

She squeezed her eyes shut and forced her thoughts away from the pain. She had to distract herself, to think of something else-- _anything_ else.

She thought of her friends, of Ruby and Weiss and Yang. She thought of Neptune and Sun.

_Sun._

The thought of Sun did something. It made it easier to push back against the bond, to push back against _him_ . She thought of Sun more, of the ways in which he was Adam’s opposite--like the way he was kind and sunny ( _Pun not intended; I’m not Yang_ , she thought with a small smile) and supportive. He was a good friend.

It worked. As she focused on thinking of Sun, everything else began to fade away. The bond gave up pulling her, the pain in her head disappeared, and her mark no longer felt as though it were on fire. Most importantly, she couldn’t hear Adam’s voice in her head anymore.

Blake sagged against the toilet and sobbed. Tears fell down her face faster than she could wipe them away, not that she was even trying. She rested her cheek against the toilet seat--she would definitely be washing her face before she left the bathroom--and closed her eyes. The cool porcelain felt good against her still-sweaty skin.

She didn’t fight her emotions. She let herself feel the fear and the sadness that he brought on whenever she thought of him. Whenever this happened.

A few months ago, their dreams were not nightmares. They were _dreams_ , the best kind, the better-than-reality kind. Because he was in them, and they could do _whatever_ they wanted without any consequences. _They_ were the ones in charge, the ones in control, together. Just them.

Those dreams began to change. _He_ began to change. It began to worry her.

The train was the last straw. She had run away from him then. She had no desire to be with him anymore, with the person he had become. He wasn’t the guy she had originally fallen in love with.

_“What about them?”_

It wasn’t like him. She hated it.

It wasn’t fair. Why did this happen to her? Why was she soulmates with someone like him? Why did fate decide that they were right for each other? Could fate make mistakes?

She had been worried about the bond when she ran away. He would have been able to use it to find her, she knew. They had used it to find each other a few times before, whenever they got lost on a mission.

She knew that the bond couldn’t be broken. There was no true escape from him, but if she could somehow keep him from finding her…

She had moved fast, knowing he would be following her as soon as he could. As she ran, she could hear his voice in her head. At first, he was pleading with her, begging her not to leave him. He kept asking her why she was running away, his voice desperate and sad.

She almost regretted it. She almost turned around. And then his begging turned to threats, his voice going from desperate and sad to dark and angry.

It solidified her decision and she kept running.

* * *

 

Blake knocked lightly on the door before entering the nurse’s office.

The nurse looked up from her desk and frowned. “Miss Belladonna,” she said. “Is there something wrong?”

Blake closed the door behind her. “It happened again,” she replied in a quiet voice.

The nurse sighed and stood up. “Take off your nightgown and sit on one of the beds,” she ordered. “Let’s clean you up and get you back to sleep.”

* * *

 

But Blake didn’t go back to sleep. Instead, she lay under her covers, curled into a ball and staring across the room at the back of Weiss’ head. Her white hair shined under the moonlight.

She couldn’t go back to sleep. She was too worried--too _scared_ \--that she would see him again, even though the possibility was unlikely.

Since she had damaged their bond, they couldn’t share dreams or thoughts anymore. He couldn’t use the bond’s mental compass to find her. The distance couldn’t affect them, couldn’t make them sick.

Most of the time, that is. If Adam tried hard enough to reach out to her and thought about her-- _obsessed_ over her--then he could stabilize the connection long enough to make contact.

Every time he managed, it was the same. She would meet him in a nightmare, in the camp they had set up while they waited for the train. He would demand to know where she was and she would run from him until she woke up. And once she was awake, the pain would start. The burning, the pulling, the screaming. And then, after just a couple of minutes of hell, it would stop, and she would go to the nurse.

But tonight had been different. Tonight, it hadn’t been as easy to run away. His desire to find her was getting stronger, his anger fueling his power and even overriding her will in their dreams. The thought scared her; Was this going to start happening even more often? What could she do against it?

She felt tears welling up in her eyes again. It wasn’t fair, that this had happened to her. Why couldn’t the bond be broken? Why couldn’t he just give up on her?

Blake sniffled quietly and wiped away her tears. No, she had accepted a while ago that there was nothing anybody could do. She would just have to live with it. He’d have to give up someday; he couldn’t chase her forever.

She closed her eyes, wishing she could go back to sleep. These episodes always left her feeling exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally.

She reached over her shoulder and slipped her index finger underneath the bandage, rubbing the scar over the mark. _He can’t hurt you anymore,_ she told herself.

Then she shook her head, knowing it wasn’t true.


	4. Feelings

As Team RWBY was getting ready for classes the next morning, talk of the dance that weekend came up.

“So do any of you have a date yet?” Yang asked as she was shoving her textbooks into her bag. It was too small to fit all of them, but she kept trying anyway, growing more and more frustrated.

“Not yet,” Weiss replied. She was inspecting Myrtenaster, making sure it was ready for sparring class. As she set it gently back in its case, carefully, as if it were made of glass, she said, “But I do have someone in mind.”

“Oh? Who?” Yang looked up from her books, cocking her head to the side, her eyes glinting with curiosity.

“When he says yes, I’ll let you know,” Weiss replied with a confident smirk, closing Myrtenaster’s case and securing the lock.

Yang shook her head and turned to Ruby. “What about you, Sis? Got a date to the dance?”

Ruby rolled her eyes and focused on tying her shoelaces. “Who would I go with?”

“Seriously, Ruby?” Yang stood over her sister, hands on her hips. She raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“You should ask Mercury,” Weiss suggested.

Ruby stared at her partner, uncomprehending. “Why?”

Yang gave her a funny look. “Uh, because he’s your soulmate?”

Ruby blinked at that. Oh, right. She honestly hadn’t thought of it, asking Mercury to the dance. She didn’t think he would even _want_ to go with her after last night.

She winced at the memory. After she had asked Ozpin if the bond could be broken, she immediately regretted it. She hadn’t looked at Mercury’s face, but she saw him stiffen in the corner of her eye. The tension in the elevator on the ride back down the building had been so thick that Crescent Rose could have sliced right through it.

“She doesn’t have to do anything with him just because she’s his soulmate.”

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at Blake in surprise. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, her book bag resting beside her, already packed and prepared for class. She looked as if she hadn’t slept all night.

Ruby, concern filling her voice, asked, “Are you okay, Blake?”

Blake ignored the question. “You don’t have to ask him to the dance if you don’t want to,” she said, her voice gentle, almost motherly. “Just because he’s your soulmate doesn’t mean that you’re obligated to do _anything_ with him.”

Ruby exchanged a glance with Weiss and Yang, the three of them caught off-guard by their teammate’s strange behavior. Before anyone could say anything else, Blake got to her feet and started for the door.

“I’ll see you in class,” she said, and then she was gone, slamming the door shut behind her.

* * *

 

At lunch, the four sat at their usual table. Weiss and Yang were deep in conversation about the dance--they planned to go dress shopping together later that week, and Ruby was going whether she liked it or not--and Blake was sitting quietly with her head in a book. Ruby noticed that she hadn’t touched the food on her tray since they sat down. On top of that, there was hardly anything on it--just an apple and an unopened carton of milk.

Ruby was too distracted to eat, herself. She sat with her cheek resting on one hand, the other hand using her fork to play around with her food, moving it around on her tray. She stabbed the fork into a grape and watched the juice bleed out.

She was thinking about the dance, too. And Mercury. She was beginning to seriously consider asking him to go with her. Maybe if they had a good time together, it would make up for hurting his feelings the night before. Aside from that, for some reason, she found herself truly wanting to go with him. She just wasn’t sure why.

As she was thinking about him, she felt the bond _pull_ her to the right and looked up to see Mercury and Emerald approaching their table. She sat up a little straighter and dropped her fork onto her tray, tucking her hands into her lap.

“Mind if we sit with you guys again?” Emerald asked as the two came to a stop at the end of the table.

“O-Of course,” Ruby answered, wincing at her stutter. She smiled, trying not to seem anxious, and gestured to the seats across from her. “Go ahead.”

Emerald took one of the seats across from Ruby, but Mercury slid in next to her, his knee lightly bumping hers as he did.

She jumped at the contact. Why was she suddenly so _aware_ of him?

Noticing this, Mercury gave her an odd look. He raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

“What? Yeah! I’m fine,” she babbled, laughing nervously. “Everything’s cool.” Her cheeks flushed red and she looked off to the side, trying to hide her embarrassment.

She heard Mercury chuckle. “Okay, then. If you say so.”

This was stupid. It was just his _knee_. Why was she so flustered?

Ruby shook herself and forced herself to look at him. “A-Actually,” she stuttered, and winced again, “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yeah?”

“I, um…” She swallowed hard, her heart hammering in her chest, her hands beginning to sweat. She wiped her palms on her skirt and kept going, pushing the words out in a rush. “Will you go to the dance with me?”

Mercury stared at her, unblinking, for the longest time. With each second passed, she grew more and more disheartened, sure that he was thinking of a way to let her down easy. She felt her eyes begin to prickle with tears.

Emerald kicked him under the table, which seemed to knock him out of his trance. He blinked rapidly and shook his head, turning to shoot Emerald a quick glare before he returned his attention to Ruby, his expression caught between surprise and confusion. “What?”

Ruby deflated, her eyes falling to her lap. She played with the hem of her skirt and tried to keep herself under control. “I asked if you would go to the dance with me,” she responded, her voice quiet. “But if you don’t want to, that’s totally okay--” She stopped herself as her voice began to tremble. She didn’t dare look back up at him.

He was silent for several seconds, and she was about to get up and flee when he said, “Yeah, I’ll go.”

Her head snapped up. “Really?”

He smiled charmingly and her heart fluttered in a way that it never had before. “Yeah.”

She grinned brightly back at him, feeling so light that she was surprised she didn’t start floating. She didn’t understand these feelings that were suddenly flooding her senses, but she allowed herself to swim in them for just a few more seconds as she stared into the eyes of her soulmate. And she could swear that, in that moment, she saw through his eyes that he was feeling the same things.

In the distance, someone cleared their throat, and the two started, looking over at Emerald, who was watching them with puckered lips, as if she’d just swallowed a lemon whole. “Get a room,” she muttered.

Ruby blushed and looked back down at her lap, giggling. When she glanced at Mercury out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a hint of blush on his cheeks, too.

* * *

 

On the way out of the cafeteria, Emerald punched Mercury in the shoulder and glared at him.

“Ow!” He cried, glaring right back at her. “What’s your deal?”

“What was that about?” She demanded, crossing her arms.

“What was what about?”

“That little moment with Ruby.” She gestured back in the direction of the cafeteria, where Team RWBY was still gathering their things at the table. Ruby was, very obviously, trying not to look up at them.

Mercury decided to play dumb. “What moment?”

Emerald grabbed his arm to stop him from walking. “You know exactly what I’m talking about,” she hissed. “If Cinder found out…”

“There’s nothing to find out,” he argued, and wrenched out of her grasp. “I’m just playing her.”

Emerald didn’t look convinced. She saw the blush on his cheeks after she’d interrupted their little moment, and before then, she had never seen him blush. But for now, she decided to drop it. “Yeah, right. Whatever.”

* * *

 

After classes were officially over, the girls made a quick trip into Vale to rent a movie and returned to their dorm after an hour of arguing over which movie they wanted to see.

In the hallway, Blake pulled Ruby to the side. Weiss and Yang walked ahead of them into the dorm room, oblivious to the fact that their teammates were no longer following.

“What’s up, Blake?” Ruby asked. She studied the other girl’s face--Blake’s normally bright golden eyes looked dim and tired, and there were bags beneath them.

“You didn’t have to ask him to the dance if you didn’t want to, Ruby,” Blake chided. She almost sounded angry.

Ruby blinked at her, taken aback by her reaction. “I know,” she said. “I wanted to ask him. Blake, are you okay? Did you get any sleep last night?”

“I’m fine,” Blake snapped, brushing off Ruby’s concern. “I just wanted you to know that you don’t have to do anything with Mercury just because you’re soulmates. And you shouldn’t let Weiss or Yang pressure you into doing anything either.”

Ruby frowned, but didn’t say anything.

Blake sighed and reached forward, settling her hands on Ruby’s shoulders. When she spoke again, her voice took on that same motherly tone from that morning. “Being his soulmate wasn’t your choice. You have no obligation to him.” For a moment, it didn’t even sound like Blake was talking to _her_. “I just wanted you to know that.”

Ruby stared stupidly at Blake, not saying anything at first. She wondered why Blake was suddenly acting this way and saying all of these things. Then she remembered the scar over Blake’s own soulmark and a bad feeling began to stir in the pit of her stomach. _What did Blake’s soulmate_ do _to her?_

“Thank you, Blake,” Ruby finally said. She offered a reassuring smile. “But I really want to go with him. I don’t feel obligated at all.”

Blake stood there for a moment, studying Ruby’s face, before smiling back. She released her shoulders and stepped away. “Okay, then. I hope you have a good time together.”

As she started to turn away, Ruby reached out a hand to stop her. “Um, wait. Can I ask you something?”

Blake turned back and nodded once.

“Do you ever feel like… your feelings were forced?” Ruby asked. When Blake only stared back at her, puzzled, Ruby struggled to clarify. “Like, do you ever feel like the bond influenced you to feel a certain way?”

Blake shook her head. “No,” she replied. “If the bond forced you to feel love for the other person, then I would still love my soulmate.” She glanced down at her feet, her eyes softening with sadness. “But I don’t. Not anymore.” When she looked back up at Ruby, all traces of sadness were gone, replaced by a blank expression that Ruby didn’t like at all. “Your feelings are your own and they determine what kind of bond you have. Whether it’s platonic or otherwise.”

“Oh,” Ruby murmured. “Okay. Thanks.”

“Ruby?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you feel like your feelings are forced?”

Ruby thought about it, _really_ thought about it. “No.”

Blake smiled. “That’s good. Do you have any other questions?”

Ruby’s eyes darted to Blake’s left shoulder. When she opened her mouth to ask about it, Blake interrupted her, “I’m not ready to talk about that.” She looked away, grabbing her left shoulder as if to protect it. “Not yet.”

“Oh, okay,” Ruby said quickly, reaching out to touch Blake’s arm in a comforting gesture. Blake tensed up and flinched, and Ruby pulled back, holding up her hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Blake’s eyes widened slightly, filled with remorse. She smiled sadly as she relaxed. “It’s okay, Ruby. You didn’t upset me. It’s just… difficult to talk about.”

“I understand.”

Blake’s smile brightened a little more and she reached out, catching Ruby in a swift, but gentle, hug. She pulled away before Ruby could hug her back.

The door to their dorm opened then, and Yang poked her head out into the hall. “Oh, there you guys are,” she said, and grinned. “Will one of you go make some popcorn? The movie’s about to start!”

* * *

 

“I’ll be in the library.”

This sudden announcement was made by Blake in the middle of lunch a couple of days later. Everyone at the table, Mercury and Emerald included, looked up at her, startled.

She was already gathering her things, not bothering to wait for a response. She picked up her nearly empty--and completely untouched--tray and walked away from the table.

“What’s up with her?” Emerald mumbled, watching Blake walk out of the cafeteria after dumping her food in the trash.

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all looked at each other. They’d noticed over the past few days that Blake had been eating and sleeping less. And of course, Weiss was the first to notice that Blake’s grades were beginning to slip.

“She’s just under a lot of stress,” Yang answered, offering Emerald and Mercury an apologetic smile.

“We’ll talk to her,” Weiss assured them.

Emerald glanced at Mercury, then back at the girls. “Well, I hope she’s able to relax soon.”

Ruby smiled gratefully. “Thanks. I’m sure Blake would appreciate your concern.”

A strange look crossed Emerald’s face, but it was gone before Ruby could decipher what it was.

* * *

 

Ruby wouldn’t get a chance to see Mercury or Emerald until sparring class later that afternoon, where they both sat right behind her. They all watched in amazement that day as Pyrrha took on all members of Team CRDL by herself, defeating them effortlessly.

“Lucky shot,” Cardin muttered at the end of the match, just before he fell over out of exhaustion.

Glynda walked over to them, stopping beside Cardin. She looked impressed. “Well done, Miss Nikos. You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament.”

Pyrrha smiled proudly. “Thank you, Professor.”

Glynda turned to the rest of the class. “Alright, now I know that’s a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers?” A few seconds of silence passed as the students all stared back at her, silent. “Miss Belladonna?” She called out, and Blake slammed her book shut, startled, and looked up with wide eyes. “You’ve been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don’t you--”

“I’ll do it.”

Ruby turned around. Mercury stood behind her, his hand raised. He caught her eye and winked. Blushing, she turned back around to hide her face.

Glynda looked up at him, adjusting her glasses. “Mercury, is it? Very well.” She looked down at her scroll. “Let’s find you an opponent.”

“Actually,” Mercury interrupted, looking thoughtful. “I wanna fight… her.” He pointed at Pyrrha, who still stood on the floor of the arena beside Glynda.

“Me?” She looked taken aback by the unexpected challenge.

Glynda frowned, one hand resting on her hip, and narrowed her eyes at Mercury. “I’m afraid Miss Nikos has just finished a match,” she replied. “I recommend you choose another partner.”

“No! It’s fine,” Pyrrha said quickly. She smiled up at Mercury. “I’d be happy to oblige.”

Ruby watched Mercury as he made his way down to the arena. She felt excitement bubbling in her chest; What was his weapon? And his fighting style--what was his fighting style like?

The fact that Mercury was _strutting_ into the arena, exuding confidence, made Ruby think that he was either a match for Pyrrha or just believed he was. Either way, she could tell that this was going to be a good fight.

Mercury stopped a few feet away from Pyrrha, standing with his feet apart and his fists up. Ruby furrowed her brow at the stance--Where was his weapon?

The fighters stood still for a few seconds, staring each other down. Then Mercury made the first move, running forward and launching a kick at Pyrrha. She deflected it with her shield and struck at his other ankle with her spear, knocking him onto his back. He recovered quickly, jumping to his feet and doing a couple of backflips away to put distance between them.

As he straightened, they stared each other down again. Pyrrha was the first to attack this time, lunging forward with her shield out. He deflected her easily, and the two traded a few blows before Pyrrha managed to slam into him with her shield, knocking him back.

Mercury paused, looking mildly impressed.

Ruby, who was practically on the edge of her seat, looked over at Emerald with a grin. “Hey, he’s doing pretty good.”

Emerald only smiled in response and Ruby turned back to the fight.

Mercury lashed out at Pyrrha with a series of powerful kicks, forcing her into a defensive position. He manged to disarm her of her spear, kicking the blade out of her hand. It landed a few feet away, impaled into the floor.

With a satisfied smirk, Mercury swung another kick at her, but he missed by a few inches, his leg swinging back around, almost out of his own control. He stumbled, falling to one knee, and paused.

Taking advantage of his disorientation, Pyrrha retrieved her spear and ran at him, her shield held out in front of her.

Mercury stood up and turned back to her, jumping onto the front of her shield and shooting himself off of it. _Ah,_ Ruby thought, _His weapon is like Yang’s, but with boots instead of gauntlets._ His fighting style now made more sense to her.

Pyrrha rushed him again, but Mercury turned his back to her, as if he was done fighting. “I forfeit.”

With a gasp, Pyrrha came to a stop beside him. “You… don’t even want to _try_?”

He shrugged. “What’s the point? You’re a world-renowned fighter; we’re obviously leagues apart.”

Glynda frowned and turned to her scroll. “In that case, Pyrrha Nikos is the victor of the match… again.” Mercury’s aura display turned from green to red, indicating his loss. Glynda glared at him disapprovingly. “Next time, you may want to think a little harder before choosing an opponent.”

Mercury turned away, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I’ll be sure to do that.”

Ruby watched him walk out of the arena, a disappointed frown on her face.

An alarm sounded then, signalling the end of class. As the students began to clear out of the building, Glynda called out, “That’s all for today. And remember, the dance is this weekend, but you all have your first mission on Monday. I will not accept _any_ excuses.”

* * *

 

Outside, Ruby ambushed her soulmate. “What was _that_?” She exclaimed. She still couldn’t believe it. “Why did you forfeit?”

Mercury looked at her blankly and shrugged. “We were outmatched,” he replied simply, as if it should have been obvious.

“But… you were doing so well,” Ruby argued lamely, confused. “Why did you even want to fight her?”

Mercury rolled his eyes, but before he could say anything, Emerald appeared behind him, her hand on his shoulder. “Sorry, Ruby,” she said. “But we really have to go meet our teammates. We’ll see you later.” She walked past Ruby, steering Mercury along ahead of her.

Mercury turned to wink at Ruby over his shoulder and waved.

She smiled and waved back, feeling a stab of jealousy. She wondered how close Emerald and Mercury were, and then immediately pushed the thought away; it wasn’t any of her business and she didn’t care, anyway. And it didn't matter--Mercury was _her_ soulmate.

Someone threw an arm around her shoulders and she yelped. Yang raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay, Sis?”

Ruby relaxed with a sigh and forced a smile. “Yeah,” she replied. “I’m fine.”

They started to walk to the dormitory, Weiss and Blake close behind. They barely got a few steps when they heard someone pursuing them.

“Hey, Blake!”

The four turned to see Sun running to catch up. Blake looked at him, lowering her book.

“You, uh, doing okay?” He asked as he came to a stop in front of her. He looked nervous.

“I’m fine,” Blake replied, her voice quiet.

Sun cleared his throat. “So I hear there’s this dance going on this weekend,” he started. “Ah, sounds pretty lame, but you and me, I’m thinking, not _as_ lame, huh?”

She stared at him. “What?”

“The dance, this weekend! You wanna go or what?”

Blake scowled at him. “I don’t have time for a stupid dance,” she snapped, turning away. “I thought you, of all people, would get that.” She stalked away from them, leaving Sun deflated by the rejection.

Weiss looked at Yang and Ruby. “I think it’s time we talk to her.”

* * *

 

Blake marched out of the dorm room and pushed past Jaune, who was standing in the hallway with a guitar and a nervous expression. He called out to her, asking what was wrong, but she ignored him and kept walking.

She couldn’t believe this. They wanted her to go to a stupid school dance and ignore the investigation. People could--no, would-- _die_ if she didn’t figure out what the White Fang was planning and stop them.

She walked into the library and walked straight for the computers. She plopped down in a chair and turned the computer on. Her “friends” could waste their time dancing like nothing was wrong if they wanted to, but she had a responsibility. She wasn’t just going to sit back and pretend that everything was okay, even for one night.

She spent the next couple of hours in the library, looking up news reports of the White Fang’s most recent activity and trying to put the pieces together. There were so many questions, and none of the answers were in any of these news articles.

Halfway through one of these articles, she felt herself beginning to slip. Her eyelids fluttered shut and her head lolled forward. Her body was weak with exhaustion, her brain calling for a break. As she was about to fall asleep, Adam’s mask appeared in her mind, glowing in the darkness.

She forced her eyes open and sat up straight. She waited for a few seconds, expecting pain and screaming. But it didn’t come.

As she shook herself off and forced herself back to work, she could swear that she heard a dark chuckle in the back of her mind.


	5. Dinner Date

The day before the dance, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang were browsing a dress shop in the city.

As Weiss and Yang were trying on different dresses, Ruby sat in a chair in the corner of the changing room, outside of the stalls, lost in her thoughts. Weiss and Yang kept trying to get her opinion on the dresses they tried on, but she wasn’t being very helpful. Her mind was preoccupied thinking about Blake and the dance, and how to get her friend to attend.

“What about this one?” Weiss spread her arms and did a little twirl in front of the mirror.

Yang poked her head out of her stall and looked Weiss over before shaking her head. “Too long.”

Weiss hummed, gazing at her reflection, and then nodded in agreement. “You’re right.” She disappeared back into a stall with another dress.

Yang took the spot in front of the mirror, scrutinizing her own reflection, and then turned around to face Ruby. “What do you think, Sis?” She struck a pose.

“Looks nice,” Ruby mumbled without looking up.

Yang frowned at her. “Ruby, you’re not even looking at me. What’s wrong?”

Ruby worried her lower lip. “I can’t think of a way to change Blake’s mind about going to the dance.”

Yang smiled reassuringly. “Oh, don’t worry,” she replied. “She’s going. Now, tell me how I look.”

With a sigh, Ruby dragged her eyes up to her sister’s form. The dress she wore was a bright yellow with a plunging neckline. Ruby made a face. “Dad would kill you,” she said.

Yang grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Dad’s not here.”

Weiss chose that moment to step out of her stall, wearing a new dress. Upon seeing Yang, her eyes widened and filled with horror. “ _No_ ,” she stated, her voice firm.

Yang frowned at her over her shoulder. “Why not?”

“For starters, it’s way too yellow,” Weiss critiqued, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “And there’s no way that they’re letting you in with a neckline like that; it’s too inappropriate for a school dance.”

Yang ignored the second part, nostrils flaring at the first. “Yellow is _my_ color, Weiss.”

Weiss ignored her and stalked out of the changing room. She returned not two minutes later with white fabric draped over her arm. She shoved it into Yang’s hands and shooed her into a changing stall. “Try this one,” she was saying. “And thank me later.”

“But Weiss--”

Weiss pulled the stall door shut and turned away. A few seconds later, Ruby heard the lock click.

Weiss returned to the mirror, checking her reflection. She struck a few different poses, inspecting every angle. Then, still undecided, she turned to her leader. “Ruby, what do you think?”

“Looks nice.”

Weiss made a sound of annoyance and glared at her. “I don’t even know why I asked,” she snapped.

“Oh my god, Weiss.” Yang stepped out of the changing stall in a short, white dress with a halter neckline. Ruby thought that it was odd to see her in white, but had to admit that it looked good on her.

Weiss stuck up her chin, a triumphant smile on her face. “See? Never doubt a Schnee’s fashion sense.”

Yang stood next to Weiss in front of the mirror. She beamed at her reflection. “Oh, yeah,” she purred, turning this way and that, looking at every angle as Weiss had been doing a moment ago. “I’ll be turning heads tomorrow night.”

Weiss nodded in agreement. “My turn.” She stepped back and struck a pose, her hands on her hips. “What do you think?”

The dress was short and white, like Yang’s, but it had cut-outs on each side of the waist and a translucent mesh yoke. Yang’s eyes swept over her from head to toe and she nodded approvingly. “It suits you.”

“I think so, too,” Weiss replied with a smile and sashayed back into the changing stall.

She reemerged a minute later, back in her normal attire. Yang did the same, and then together, the two cornered Ruby at her chair.

She blinked up at them, startled. “What?”

They each settled a hand on one of Ruby’s shoulders and smirked at her. “Your turn, Rubes,” Yang replied.

“M-My turn?”

“We’ve been here for nearly two hours,” Weiss said, “and you have yet to even _look_ at any of the dresses here.”

Ruby frowned, shrinking back against the chair. “What about Blake? I still can’t think of a way to change her mind.”

Yang rolled her eyes. “I told you, Ruby, she’s going. Now, come on.” Ruby yelped as her teammates tightened their grips on her shoulders and yanked her to her feet. She opened her mouth to protest, when Yang leaned forward and said, “You want to look good for Mercury, don’t you?”

Ruby felt warmth bloom in her cheeks. “Yang!”

* * *

 

A few blocks away, in a different--less expensive--clothing shop, Mercury was leaning against the wall outside of the changing room, playing a game on his scroll.

Emerald was standing a few feet away, checking herself out in a mirror, her lips pursed. The dress she had was dark green, backless, but covered everything up to her neck in the front.

Mercury’s eyes darted to her briefly before returning to his scroll. “Not enough cleavage,” he said.

He could feel her glaring at him in disgust. “Then it’s _perfect_ ,” she spat and stalked back into the changing room.

He rolled his eyes and returned his focus to his game. Emerald stepped back out a moment later, the hideous piece of fabric draped over her arm. “Did you pick out your tux?” She asked, irritation dripping like venom from her voice and the scowl still on her face.

He suppressed a smirk; he loved that he could get under her skin like that, could even push her to buy a dress she clearly didn’t like. “Yeah.”

“Then let’s get out of here.” She started to walk away, heading for the register without waiting for him.

Grabbing his tux, he followed her to the register, standing behind her in line. “Do we really have to pay for these?” He mumbled, low enough so that only she could hear him.

She turned her head to give him a dirty look. “Cinder told us to keep our hands clean,” she reminded him.

“We already failed to do that once,” he reminded her.

“Let’s not do it again.”

Mercury huffed, annoyed. Emerald’s constant need to please Cinder and obey her every whim was just pathetic. She fell apart at the slightest hint of disapproval.

Couldn’t he have had a partner that was just a _little_ rebellious? He didn’t want to piss off Cinder any more than she did, but with a semblance like Emerald’s, stealing a couple of outfits would be easy without much risk of getting caught, and Cinder wouldn’t have to know. If only she was willing.

After _paying_ for their purchases-- _ugh_ \--the two left the store and began walking back towards the school. As they were passing by a restaurant, Mercury caught the scent of food from the entrance as an older couple walked inside. He perked up, his stomach rumbling. “Hey, can we stop for food?”

Emerald growled at him. “Seriously? You ate before we left.”

“That was three hours ago!”

“ _Ugh,_ fine.” The two turned around and started back for the restaurant, and Emerald ignored the smug smirk spreading across Mercury’s face.

And then she saw an opportunity to wipe it off. Three figures were walking in their direction, their arms filled with shopping bags. Emerald brightened, throwing on a friendly smile and lightening her voice as she called out, “Hey, you guys!”

* * *

 

It hadn’t taken long to find a dress that Ruby liked, but then again, she wasn’t that picky when it came to fashion. She settled for a short, dark red dress with a translucent mesh yoke and a black sash around the waist. Since they had time, they even stopped by a shoe store and grabbed some matching heels for their dresses.

Ruby had tried to talk Weiss out of getting heels for her--“Maybe a nice pair of flats would look better?”--but it was no use. The second Weiss saw a pair of black pumps that would go _perfectly_ with Ruby’s dress, she could not be swayed.

After they were completely finished with their shopping, the three gathered their new treasures and started back to school. They had to return soon, since Weiss and Yang had to get the ballroom ready for the dance.

“Hey, you guys!”

Up ahead, someone called out to them. The three looked up to see Emerald and Mercury standing in front of a restaurant several feet away, each of them holding their own shopping bag. From this distance, Ruby thought Mercury was scowling at Emerald, but as they got closer, the expression vanished and he was smirking. He looked her in the eye and winked.

Cheeks on fire, Ruby looked down at her feet.

“Hey, Em,” Yang greeted as they came to a stop in front of the duo. “Merc. What are you guys doing here?”

Emerald held up her bag. “Shopping for the dance. And you?”

“Same.”

“Would you like to accompany us back to Beacon?” Weiss asked politely. “We were just on our way.”

“Weiss and I have to be back soon to get the ballroom ready,” Yang explained.

Emerald was smiling a little _too_ brightly, Ruby thought. “Actually, Merc and I were just about to eat.” She gestured to the restaurant that they were standing in front of. “But I just remembered that I have to help our team leader with something.” Her eyes turned to Ruby. “Say, why don’t you join Mercury for dinner? You don’t have to help with the ballroom, do you?”

Ruby blinked. “Um, well, no--”

“Great!” Emerald grinned. “Then it’s a date. Have fun, you two.” With a sound that could only be described as a witch’s cackle, Emerald turned and began to hurriedly walk away.

Yang and Weiss exchanged an amused glance before beginning to follow her. “Hey, Em, wait up!” Yang called and then they were gone, leaving Mercury and Ruby alone, an awkward silence settling between them.

Ruby looked up at him. He was staring after the three with narrowed eyes. “Um, I don’t have to join you if you don’t want me to,” she offered, her voice small. She hoped that she was misreading him, hoped that he wanted her to join him.

He sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. “No, it’s fine,” he replied. “Do you like this place?” He jerked his thumb in the direction of the restaurant and she nodded her head. “Good. Then let’s go eat.”

* * *

 

Damn Emerald. He was going to make her pay for this.

All he had wanted to do was grab a quick bite to eat before they returned to Beacon, why did she have to ditch him and stick him with little-miss-sunshine?

Emerald didn’t even _have_ to go with him if she didn’t want to. But at least if she had, he could’ve convinced her to pay for the both of them. With Ruby, he suspected _he’d_ be the one paying for both of them, especially since Emerald had dubbed this a date.

That made him wonder--did Ruby think this was a date? She didn’t act like it; she was sitting across from him, quiet and averting her eyes. Unless that was just how she acted on dates, nervous and withdrawn.

“Are you okay?”

She jumped at the sound of his voice, her eyes going wide. It was as if she’d forgotten that he was sitting across from her. “Yeah, I’m fine!” She replied in a rush, her voice squeaking.

He raised an eyebrow and she blushed, looking away again. Great. This was going to be a _swell_ dinner.

He turned his attention to his menu, reading through the list of items and trying to decide what sounded better. He began to notice the feeling of eyes on him and glanced up to see Ruby staring at him not-so-subtly. When he met her gaze, she let out a squeak of embarrassment and turned away again.

He smirked and looked back at his menu.

Their waiter appeared and asked what they’d like to drink. They both ordered a soda and the waiter left to get it for them.

A few seconds of silence passed, and Mercury felt eyes on him again. “Um, Mercury?”

This time, he didn’t look up to meet her gaze. He kept his eyes on his menu, indecisive. “Hn?”

Ruby hesitated. Then, “Why did you forfeit the match against Pyrrha?”

Mercury resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This _again_? “I told you,” he replied, speaking slowly to be sure that she understood. “I was outmatched.”

“Then why even pick her to fight to begin with?” Ruby persisted.

He closed his menu and set it on the table with a sigh and leaned back in his chair, trying to appear calm and casual to hide his growing irritation. He shrugged. “I like a challenge.”

Ruby frowned at him, brows furrowed. She clearly wasn’t satisfied with his answer, but before she could push for more, the waiter appeared with their drinks. He set their glasses in front of them and asked if they were ready to order. He wrote their orders down on a small notepad, and then disappeared again.

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air between the two soulmates. Mercury considered pulling out his scroll and starting his game up again before pushing the idea aside, deciding that it would be too rude. Not that he cared, he just needed to keep her close, and ignoring her during dinner--a date?--was not the way to do it.

“Your boots!”

Blinking, he stared up at her, taken aback by her sudden outburst. She stared back at him, eyes wide and cheeks flushed with embarrassment, as if she was also surprised. It was a nice look for her.

“What?”

“U-um,” Ruby stuttered, her gaze flitting around the room, looking anywhere but at his face. “Your boots… they’re your weapons.” It was a statement, not a question.

_So she noticed that,_ he thought. “Yeah,” he confirmed. “What about it?”

“I just think they’re really cool,” she replied, words spilling out in a rush. “And I was wondering how they work and what you named them and--”

“Wait,” he interrupted. _What did she just say?_ “What I _named_ them?”

Finally, she looked at him again, her embarrassed expression melting away, replaced by confusion. “Yeah. Like, I call my scythe Crescent Rose.” Her frown deepened and she cocked her head to one side, looking like a puzzled bird. “Didn’t you name yours?”

He wanted to laugh, but he held it back. Who names a _weapon_? “Why would I name my weapons?”

“Well, it’s a part of you, right?”

His heart almost stopped. No, she couldn’t know--could she? “What?”

Oblivious to his inner panic, she continued, “Our weapons are extensions of ourselves. My scythe is like my family--my _baby_. That’s why I named it Crescent _Rose_.” She smiled fondly as she thought about it.

Mercury relaxed. She hadn’t meant it _that_ way. “Oh.”

The confused frown returned to her face as she looked at him again, as if she couldn’t fathom someone _not_ naming their weapon. “You really haven’t thought of it like that?”

“No,” he replied honestly. He really hadn’t. The way Mercury saw it, weapons were just that: weapons. They were tools to be used, tools to fight with. Tools to _kill_ with. That’s what his old man had taught him and it had stuck.

For some reason, his answer appeared to sadden her. Her shoulders dropped and she looked down. Then, suddenly, like a light bulb being switched on, she brightened up again and smiled at him. “Can I name them?”

He stared at her, stupefied. “What? My boots?”

“Yeah.”

“You want to… name… my _boots_?”

“Yeah! Well, your weapons,” she clarified. “I mean, it should really be you who names them, but since you don’t want to… Would you mind?”

He continued to stare at her, uncomprehending. It was, by far, the strangest thing a girl had ever asked to do for him. But he decided that it was harmless enough, and he had to admit that he was curious of what she would come up with. So, he granted her request. “Go for it.”

Ruby’s smile widened and she squealed. “I’ll make sure it’s _perfect_ , don’t worry! I’m going to give it a lot of thought.”

Mercury sat there and watched as she practically vibrated in her seat. She was like an excited child whose parents just told her they were going to let her skip school and go to a theme park. He didn’t even notice as his amused smirk shifted into a soft smile.

But Ruby noticed it. She instantly began to blush and looked away, suddenly shy. It made him chuckle, and almost punch himself in the face.

“Um, Mercury?”

“Yeah?”

She kept her eyes firmly on her lap, her fingers playing with the hem of her dress. “Is this a date?” Her voice was so quiet that he almost didn’t hear the question.

He paused, thinking about it. He didn’t know any more than she did. What’s worse, he didn’t even know if he _wanted_ this to be a date. He shouldn’t, but…

“I don’t know,” he answered. “Do you want it to be a date?”

Now it was her turn to pause. Then she took a deep breath and answered in a near-whisper, “Yes.”

He hated how that actually made him _happy_. Ugh. “Then it’s a date.”

She looked at him, surprised. Then she smiled a small, soft smile that made him feel disgustingly warm inside, and looked away again.

The waiter chose that moment to finally reappear, balancing a tray of food in his hands. He set their plates in front of them, told them to enjoy their meals, and hurried away again.

They ate most of their meal in a comfortable silence. Halfway through, however, Ruby spoke up again. “Mercury? Can I ask you something?”

He smirked. “You just did,” he teased.

She puffed out her cheeks.

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay. What is it?”

She dropped her eyes to her food, twirling her fork around on her plate. She hesitated, as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to ask her question after all. “Do you feel obligated to go to the dance with me? Because we’re soulmates?”

He frowned. That was an odd question. “Do _you_?”

She paused, expression thoughtful. “No,” she replied, appearing surprised by her own answer.

“I don’t, either,” he agreed, unsettled to find that it was the truth. He _didn’t_ feel obligated, by the bond or Cinder. He actually wanted to go to the dance with her, just like he actually wanted this to be a date, too. He couldn’t feel his anger toward Emerald anymore for setting this up.

He actually _wanted_ to spend time with Ruby.

The realization made him want to bolt from his chair and race out of the restaurant, out of Vale, far away from this girl. Could you run from fate? Probably not.

So he forced himself to stay his chair, tried to use the food in front of him to keep himself anchored. Unfortunately, he’d lost his appetite.

Ruby didn’t look convinced, and his face must have given the nature of his thoughts away because she began to ramble. “I-It’s okay if you do,” she said, the words rushing out. “You don’t have to lie to make me feel better. I’ll understa-- Eep!” She suddenly squeaked, looking up at Mercury in shock.

Mercury had reached across the table and rested his hand over hers. Their faces were only a foot apart. Silver eyes stared into dark gray. He felt a shudder of electricity travel through his body and the mark was buzzing, though it was a pleasant sensation rather than a painful one.

“Ruby,” he said, his voice low so that only she could hear his words. He noticed her shiver as her name left his lips. “I _want_ to go to the dance with you. I don’t feel obligated at all.” Cue his internal screaming. He ignored himself.

“O-oh,” she stammered. “Okay.”

Mercury sat back his chair, pulling his hand away. He picked his fork up and resumed eating as if nothing had happened.

Across the table, Ruby sat frozen, not even blinking. Mercury glanced up briefly and raised an eyebrow at her. “Your food’s going to get cold.”

* * *

 

Mercury walked Ruby back to her dorm. Before retreating to his own, he promised Ruby that he’d pick her up before the dance and they’d walk to the ballroom together.

Back in his own dorm, Emerald was sitting on her bed, looking at something on her scroll. She glanced up when he entered, a smirk forming on her face. “How was your _date_?”

His eyes narrowed and though he was actually happy with how things turned out, he couldn’t let her know that. Besides, her smugness made him want to strangle her. “Oh, it was just _great_ ,” he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Thanks for ditching me, by the way.”

Emerald rolled her eyes. “Don’t be a baby. It couldn’t have been _that_ bad.”

He grimaced, crossing his arms. “I had to pay.”

She looked up, her face blank, her voice devoid of any sympathy. “Boo hoo.”

With an indignant huff, he dropped onto his bed and pulled out his scroll, turning on the game that he’d been playing earlier.

* * *

 

That night, as Team RWBY was getting ready for bed, Blake noticed the shopping bags sitting on her bed. “What are these?” She asked as she opened one, peering into it curiously.

“Dresses for the dance,” Weiss answered. “Ruby insisted that we buy you one while we were there, in case you changed your mind about attending.”

“We bought more than one, though,” Yang added. “So you can pick your own. We tried to find ones that you might like.”

Blake stared at the folded up fabric in the bag and smiled. “Thank you,” she said, her voice soft, and reached into the bag to pull out the dress. “That was so thoughtful.”

“Well, the Ice Queen is the one who paid for them,” Yang pointed out, flashing a grin at Weiss.

Weiss puffed out her cheeks and glared back at the blonde. “Hey!”

The other three laughed. Blake laid the dresses out on her bed, side-by-side, and looked them over carefully. After a couple of minutes, she reached for one. “I think I’ll wear this one.” It was dark purple, with a slit up the right side, a black collar, and a translucent mesh sleeves.

Weiss smiled triumphantly at Ruby and Yang. “I told you she’d pick that one.”

“Wait, does that mean you’re going?” Ruby asked, lighting up with hope.

Blake smiled again and nodded once. “Yeah, I’m going.”

Ruby squealed and started to hop with joy. “Yay! It’ll be so much more fun with you there!”

“Mission accomplished,” Weiss stated.

Blake let out a quiet, melodious laugh. She set the dress she’d chosen on a hanger and stuck it in the closet, then folded up the remaining dresses and set them back in their bags. She placed the bags on the floor by her bed; they’d be returned later. “We should get ready for bed.”

Ruby noticed that she was practically glowing as she brushed her teeth in front of the bathroom mirror. Blake was going to the dance--all of her friends were going to the dance. They were going to have so much _fun_.

And she was going to the dance with Mercury. She felt--and saw in her reflection--her cheeks turn pink as she recalled their dinner date earlier. She could almost feel his hand on hers again.

Her stomach fluttered. She had never felt this way about anyone before, and though it was new and exciting, it was also very scary. Blake herself was proof that soulmates didn’t always work out, that they weren’t as right for each other as destiny seemed to think that they were. They _can_ hurt each other, and if that scar over Blake’s mark was any indication, some do.

Ruby shoved those thoughts out of her mind. She didn’t want to think about bonds going wrong, not with the dance less than twenty-four hours away. And she most definitely did not want to think that Mercury would do anything to hurt her; she wasn’t going to spoil these new feelings for herself. Instead, she wanted to think about how much fun she was going to have with her friends, and she wanted to think about how she was going to get to spend more time with Mercury.

And then her face paled and she stared into the bathroom mirror, frozen in the middle of brushing her teeth.

She was going to have to dance.

In heels.

In front of Mercury.

_Oh, no._


	6. The Dance

_Stupid lady stilts,_ Ruby thought as she wobbled in front of the bathroom mirror. She had been trying, very carefully, to apply eyeliner when one of her feet gave out, collapsing on its side and sending a sharp wave of pain through her ankle. She ended up drawing a black line from the corner of her eye halfway to her ear. With a huff, she grabbed a towelette of makeup remover and wiped it off.

Blake, standing next to her and applying her own makeup, gave her an amused glance. “Do you need help, Ruby?”

“What I need,” Ruby grumbled as she kicked the offending heels off, “are my boots.” The pumps _thump_ ed against the wall beneath the sink and Ruby flexed her toes.

Blake swept a brush coated in purple over her eyelids. “At least it’s only for one night,” she said.

“Yeah,” Ruby sighed, leaning closer to the mirror to try again. Now that she could stand straight, it was much easier. “So, Blake,” she said as she worked, “do you have a date?”

Blake studied her reflection. Satisfied, she gave herself a small nod, and then began to wash off her brush. “No.”

Ruby moved on to her other eye. “You should find Sun,” she suggested. “He’s been really worried about you, too.”

She could see Blake frowning at her out of the corner of her eye. She was remembering the harsh way that she’d rejected him before. “Really?”

Ruby turned and gave her a reassuring smile. “Yeah.”

Blake was quiet for awhile, staring at her reflection and chewing the inside of her cheek as she thought about it. Then, as Ruby was putting the cap back on her eyeliner pen, she said, “Okay. I will. Thanks, Ruby.”

“No problem!”

Ruby stepped back to study her reflection. Her lips turned down into a frown. The eyeliner made her eyes stand out more, made them look bigger and somehow shinier. The lip gloss also gave her lips a nice shine. But there was something missing.

Blake had turned and was also studying Ruby’s face. “Something’s missing,” she said, voicing Ruby’s thoughts. She turned and started to dig through her makeup bag. She pulled out a brush and a small plastic container with a circle of pink powder inside. “How about some blush?”

Ruby hesitated; she didn’t know how to apply the stuff.

Blake rolled her eyes, smiling. “I’ll do it for you.”

“Really? Um, thanks Blake, that’d be great.”

Blake opened the case and dabbed the brush into the circle. She tapped it lightly against the side of the case, then stepped toward Ruby, lifting the brush towards her face.

“Suck in your cheeks,” she commanded, and Ruby obeyed.

After sweeping the brush lightly against both of Ruby’s cheekbones, Blake stepped back and admired her handiwork. She smiled and gestured toward the mirror. “Okay, all done.”

Ruby turned to look at her reflection, her eyes widening. It wasn’t a drastic change, but the blush had brought some much-needed color to her pale face and even gave her cheeks a bit of a glow. “Wow, it’s perfect,” she breathed. She turned to Blake with a big grin stretched across her face. “Thanks, Blake!”

“You’re welcome.” Blake cleaned off the brush and stuck it back into her bag.

The two packed up their makeup bags--or, in Ruby’s case,  _Yang’s_ makeup bag--and left the bathroom (Ruby had to turn around a few seconds later when she realized she was still barefoot and retrieve her heels).

Blake walked with Ruby back to their dorm to drop off her makeup bag, then left quickly to find Sun before the dance.

Alone, Ruby plopped down on Weiss’s bed and shoved her feet back into the pumps with a hiss. She should have just left them lying under the sink and went to the dance in her boots.

Mercury had told her that he would pick her up at her dorm, so all she could do now was wait. She looked around for something to do in the meantime.

She spotted the corner of a book peeking out from underneath Blake’s pillow. Curiosity got the best of her, and she pulled the book out, studying the cover. _Ninja’s of Love._

“Ninja’s, huh?” She skimmed through the blurb on the back, then opened to the first chapter.

* * *

 Fifteen minutes later, Ruby was curled up on Weiss’s bed, her shoes once again discarded on the floor, and nearly halfway through the book when a knock at the door finally sounded. The sound made her jump and she hastily scrambled off of the bed, shoving the book back under Blake’s pillow and then stepping as far away from it as possible. She smoothed down the skirt of her dress, her cheeks hot.

_Blake and I are going to have a serious talk about that book later!_

More knocks on the door, impatient. “Just a minute!” Ruby called. She hurried to put her shoes back on, waited a few seconds to regain her balance, and then waddled over to answer the door.

Mercury stood on the other side, dressed in a black and silver tux and holding a plastic box. When she opened the door, he flashed her a bright and charming smile, one that faltered almost immediately at the sight of her. His dark eyes widened, and his eyebrows shot up.

“Wow, you look…”

Ruby held her breath. _Ridiculous?_ She _felt_ ridiculous as she struggled to stand straight.

“Beautiful.” The smiler returned, brighter than before--and was she imagining things, or was he blushing?

Ruby’s heart fluttered, a butterfly in her ribcage. “O-Oh, um, thank you.”

He glanced down at the box in his hands, as if he had just realized that it was there, and held it out to her. “I brought you something.”

She took the box from him. It was clear plastic, so she could already see what was inside: a small bouquet of red roses attached to a white, silk wristband. A corsage.

She took it out of the box, gently, as if the flowers were breakable, and studied it with an expression of awe. It was just so _pretty_ ; she could hardly believe it was real.

“May I?” Mercury asked, holding out his hand.

Ruby set the corsage carefully on his palm, then set the box on the desk that was just inside the door.

Mercury took Ruby’s right hand in his and slid the corsage over her wrist. His hand was warm, and she felt a tingly sensation wherever their skin touched. Then he released her and it was gone.

She gazed at the corsage with a dreamy smile, reaching up to stroke one of the soft petals. “It’s beautiful,” she murmured.

Ruby looked back up at Mercury to find that he was already watching her with an expression she couldn’t read, but it sent a pleasant shiver down her spine nonetheless.

He offered her his arm. “Ready to go?”

She smiled, taking it. “Yes.”

* * *

 Mercury had been prepared to act extra charming tonight and sweep Ruby off of her feet. He had been prepared to distract her while Cinder did her thing at the CCT. What he was _not_ prepared for was _Ruby_.

He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. _Dammit, stop staring at her!_

It was all her fault. She was wearing a short, dark red dress with black accents. A slit travelled down the front of her dress to her waist, black laces criss-crossing between her breasts. Black tights covered her legs, her feet nestled into a pair of black pumps. On top of that, she was wearing makeup--her eyes looked bigger, her cheeks were glowing a pleasing pink, and her lips had a nice, kissable shine.

Not that he was thinking about kissing her.

_Dammit, stop thinking about kissing her!_

Pushing that thought to the very, very, _very_ back of his mind (not really), Mercury led Ruby to the front entrance of the ballroom. Her older sister, Yang, was standing in front of the open doors, behind a podium, greeting people as they entered. Her eyes lit up when she saw them.

“Oh, you two look so _cute_ together!” she squealed, causing Ruby to blush and hiss back, “Shut up, Yang!”

Yang only laughed. Her eyes zeroed in on the corsage decorating Ruby’s right wrist, and then slid up to Mercury. She gave him a sly look.

Mercury hoped she wouldn’t ask about it; he wasn’t sure what he would tell her. It wasn’t _his_ idea, after all--it was Emerald’s.

She had given it to him before he left, or more accurately, she had shoved the box into his hands before shoving him out the door.

When he asked her what it was and why she’d given it to him, Emerald rolled her eyes and told him to give it to Ruby. Again, he asked why, and again, she rolled her eyes.

“It’s _prom_ .” She said it in a tone that clearly translated to, “How dumb _are_ you?”

It didn’t explain anything to him, but she had slammed the door in his face before he could demand for a better explanation.

He wasn’t sure what had possessed him to put it on for her, though. Emerald hadn’t told him to do it and since it wasn’t a pin, Ruby could have easily put it on by herself. But if she had, he would have missed out on the way his skin tingled when it touched hers.

Before Yang could comment on the corsage, she was momentarily distracted by something over their shoulders. When her eyes returned to them, she had clearly forgotten about the corsage because she smiled and told them to enjoy the dance, gesturing to the ballroom behind her.

As they walked past her, Mercury glanced back to see what had saved him. Ruby’s Faunus teammate ( _what was her name again?_ ) had arrived on the arm of another Faunus: a blonde boy with a monkey tail, whose idea of “formal wear” appeared to be a black shirt, a white tie, and jeans.

The ballroom was decorated with streamers and balloons, the dance floor already filled with students paired up and doing the waltz. Tables lined each side of the dance floor, covered in white table cloths. At the back of the room was the music stand and the snack table, complete with a large punch bowl in the center.

As they walked deeper into the room, Ruby stumbled on her heels and fell into Mercury, almost knocking them both over. He turned and caught her easily, steadying her.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, thanks.” She scowled down at her shoes, muttering under her breath, “Stupid lady stilts.”

Mercury raised a brow, his lips twitching with amusement. “Stupid _what_?”

“Lady stilts!” Ruby stomped her foot--and almost fell down again. “They’re impossible to walk in,” she complained as Mercury caught and steadied her again. “How does Weiss _fight_ in these?”

Mercury often found himself wondering the same thing. Emerald and Cinder both wore heels--and Cinder’s were made of _glass_.

Ruby pouted. “I just want to back to my dorm and change into my hood.”

“Not enjoying yourself?”

The two started and looked up as Professor Ozpin approached. He offered a kind smile.

“Oh, no, everything’s fine!” Ruby replied quickly, shaking her head. “I’m just not much of a fancy-pancy… dancy girl.”

“Yeah, same here,” Mercury agreed. He liked dancing--even incorporated it into his fighting style--but not _ballroom_ dancing. He preferred to dance solo, to a song with a fast beat.

Ozpin appeared amused at their responses. “Well, you can’t spend your entire life on the battlefield, even if you may want to.”

Ruby crossed her arms. “Yeah, that lesson’s been floating around a lot lately,” she mumbled.

“If you think about it,” Ozpin mused, watching the people on the dance floor, “fighting and dancing aren’t so different. Two partners interlocked--although,”--he chuckled--“one wrong move on the dance floor merely leads to a swollen foot.”

“Or a twisted ankle,” Ruby added in a mutter, casting another glare at her pumps.

“It’s not everyday that friends are able to come together like this,” Ozpin continued. “Time has a way of testing our bonds. But it’s nights like these that can help keep them stronger than ever.”

Mercury resisted the urge to snort at the old man’s speech. He glanced down at Ruby instead, who was smiling, hanging on the headmaster’s every word.

“Nights like these,” Ozpin continued, “are ones we’ll never forget.”

* * *

 Ozpin told them to enjoy the dance, then left to join Glynda and Ironwood in the corner of the room, watching the students with hawk eyes.

“Hey, do you want some punch?” Mercury asked after Ozpin was gone.

“Sure.”

He winked at her, making her heart skip a beat. “Be right back.”

She watched him weave his way through the crowd to the snack table. Seconds later, she caught a flash of mint green hair as Emerald pushed her way through the crowd, following him.

Ruby frowned.

“Hey, Ruby.”

She looked up as Jaune stepped up next to her, a cup in his hand. “Where’s your date?” he asked.

“With his girlfriend,” she mumbled, then snapped her mouth shut, immediately regretting her words. Ruby Rose was not the jealous type, and even if she was, Mercury didn’t _belong_ to her. Sure, they were soulmates, but their bond could still be platonic.

Though the feelings that were currently swirling through her chest made it clear: the bond wasn’t platonic, at least not for her.

Jaune frowned as he followed her gaze to the snack table, where Mercury and Emerald were bent close together, as if sharing secrets. “Girlfriend…? Who? You mean _Emerald_?”

The incredulous tone in Jaune’s voice made Ruby look up. “Well, yeah. Why?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think they’re dating, Ruby.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“They hate each other,” he stated matter-of-factly, as if it should have been obvious.

It wasn’t obvious to _her_. “They do?”

Jaune looked genuinely surprised by the question. “You mean you haven’t noticed?” She shook her head. “Well, they’re always glaring at each other,” he explained, looking back at them. “Especially Emerald. Look--” He gestured toward them. “Even now, she looks like she’d sooner _kill_ him than _kiss_ him.”

Ruby’s stomach twisted at the mental image of Emerald and Mercury kissing, and she quickly expelled the thought from her mind. She forced herself to do as Jaune said, her eyes returning to where Mercury and Emerald were standing, still leaned toward each other.

Jaune was right. Emerald had her arms crossed over her chest and was glaring at Mercury like she wished she could shoot lasers from her eyes.

Ruby also remembered the way that Emerald had set them up last night. Would Emerald really do that if Mercury was her boyfriend?

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Ruby,” Jaune assured her, setting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Ruby smiled gratefully up at him, allowing herself to relax. “Thanks, Jaune.”

“No problem.”

“I’m sorry things didn’t work out with Weiss,” she offered.

“Meh, it’s fine.” Removing his hand from her shoulder, Jaune shrugged. “Neptune’s pretty _cool_. I can see why she went with him.”

Ruby cocked her head slightly to one side, a puzzled expression on her face. “What do you mean?”

“Well, come on, not many people can pull off _blue_ hair,” he replied, raising his cup to his lips.

“No, I mean, Weiss came to the dance alone,” Ruby said. That morning, Yang had asked Weiss about for an update about her date to the dance. The Ice Queen had turned up her nose and stated that she’d changed her mind about going with anyone.

In the present, Jaune nearly choked on his drink. He reached up and swiped the back of his hand across his lips, turning to look at Ruby with a shocked expression. “Uh, what?” His eyes flicked to something over Ruby’s shoulder--Weiss, standing in front of a small, round table that held up a vase of white roses, one of which was wilting. Weiss kept pushing it up with her finger, trying to coax it back to life.

“Yeah, she said she had too much to focus on to worry about boys,” Ruby explained.

Laughter drew both Weiss and Jaune’s attention. They looked up to see Blake and Sun standing with Neptune, who was making funny faces. The three of them were laughing as if Neptune was the funniest person in the world.

Weiss’s expression was sad.

“Hold. My. Punch,” Jaune growled, shoving his cup into Ruby’s hand. He stalked off without another word.

Ruby took a sip from his cup as she watched him make it halfway across the room before Pyrrha walked by him, distracting him. He hesitated, and then followed her upstairs to the outdoor balcony.

Mercury returned to her shortly after, holding a cup of punch in each hand. He paused when he noticed that she was holding one. “Where’d you get that?” he asked.

“Oh, it’s just Jaune’s,” Ruby replied, quickly setting the cup down on a nearby table. “I was just holding it for him.” She decided to leave out the part where she took a drink out of it.

A look passed over Mercury’s face, so fast that Ruby couldn’t decipher what it was. He handed her a cup of her own.

She flashed him a small smile as she took it. “Thanks.”

An awkward silence stretched between them as they drank their punch and watched the other students glide around the room.

“Hey.” Mercury nudged her with his elbow. “Want to spar?”

She frowned, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. “Spar?” In the middle of the dance? Without Crescent Rose? In _heels_?

Mercury set his cup down on the table beside Jaune’s, stepped toward the dance floor, then turned and extended a hand out to Ruby.

She looked from his hand to him and then back again. Then her eyes wandered to the dance floor behind him and realization clicked in her brain.

“Oh, I, um…” She glanced down at her feet nervously. She shifted slightly, her legs wobbling. “I don’t know how to dance,” she admitted.

“It’s easy. I’ll teach you,” he assured her, wiggling his fingers impatiently.

“Are you sure?” Ruby worried her bottom lip. “I might step on your toes.”

Mercury’s lips twitched with amusement, and he shrugged off her concern. “I’ll be fine.” He wiggled his fingers again.

Dance? With Mercury? In _heels_? “O-Okay.” She set her drink down next to his and took his hand, allowing him to guide her to the middle of the dance floor.

Keeping hold of her left hand, he set his free hand on her waist (causing her to emit an embarrassing squeak) and told her to put hers on his shoulder. She did so.

“Ready?”

She wasn’t, but she nodded anyway.

He was patient with her as he taught her the steps (and he didn’t react at all whenever she stepped on his toes!), and Ruby was pleasantly surprised to find that she was getting the hang of it pretty fast. Soon, they were dancing smoothly, as if they’d done this a thousand times.

Ruby felt a surge of pride well up in her and resisted the urge to let out a _“whoop!”_ of celebration.

Nearly halfway through the second song, Ruby spotted Yang on the second floor, leaning against the railing and looking out over the dance floor. When she caught her sister’s eye, Yang made a motion with her arms, wrapping them around the air in front of her as if she were hugging someone.

It took Ruby a second to realize what she was implying. As soon as she figured it out, she felt her cheeks turn red, and she cast a furtive glance at Mercury. Her eyes darted back to Yang, who nodded encouragingly.

Taking a deep breath, Ruby looked once more at Mercury (who was now watching her with a curious expression), and then ripped her hand out of his grasp, thrusting her arm over his shoulder.

The two froze, Ruby’s arm stick-straight over Mercury’s shoulder, her face as red as Pyrrha’s hair--and Mercury, his face covered in question marks, right hand hovering in the air, abandoned.

He recovered quickly, flashing Ruby a smile that could have made even the Ice Queen melt, and moving his now-empty hand to the opposite side of her waist.

Ruby relaxed her arm and locked her hands together behind Mercury’s neck. Her heart was racing, pounding against her ribcage like a hammer.

The two were moving again, swaying rather than actually dancing like they were before.

Over Mercury’s shoulder, Yang was playing another round of charades. Her arms were still wrapped around the invisible person, but this time, she also had her head leaned forward, as if resting it on the invisible person’s chest. (A few people standing near her gave her odd looks, but Yang either didn’t notice or didn’t care.)

Ruby internally groaned--she was embarrassed, but she wanted to do it. Gathering up all of her courage, she leaned forward and rested the side of her face against Mercury’s shoulder. They stopped moving again, and she felt Mercury tense up.

Uh oh. She’d gone too far.

Just as she was about to pull back and apologize, Mercury relaxed again and slid his hands around to her back, pulling her closer. He rested his chin on top of her head. She could hear his heartbeat as it _thump_ ed against her cheek.

Ruby closed her eyes as they began to sway again. The music, soft and slow, blocked out all other noises. The fabric of Mercury’s jacket rubbed against her cheek. Her nose caught a faint whiff of cologne--and it smelled nice, unlike the stuff Jaune bathed himself in whenever he was trying to get Weiss’s attention.

In that moment, the ballroom fell away, and it was just the two of them in their own private bubble. She wished that this moment could last forever. It was magical and sweet, and she wasn’t ready for it to end.

So of course, the music suddenly stopped and the bubble around them popped, returning Ruby and Mercury to the ballroom. The people around them were no longer dancing--they were laughing.

Ruby and Mercury pulled out of each other’s arms and looked around the room for the source of the interruption.

Jaune, sporting a white _dress_ with a blue ribbon around the waist and his black and white sneakers, strutted through the crowd with his head held high. He stopped in front of Pyrrha, who turned to see what the commotion was about. Her green eyes widened.

“Jaune…?” She said his name slowly, a question mark at the end, as if she didn’t quite believe it was him.

Jaune lifted up his hands and shrugged. “A promise is a promise,” he said, smiling awkwardly. Ruby wondered what kind of promise he had made that put him in a dress.

A slow smile spread across Pyrrha’s face and she began giggle, clearly trying to hold back. She lost the battle quickly, laughing aloud. “Jaune!” she exclaimed. “You didn’t _have_ to!”

Jaune shook his head. “Hey, an Arc never goes back on his word,” he said. “Now do you wanna stand there and laugh at me, or do you want to dance?” He held out his hand.

Pyrrha set her hand in his. “I would _love_ to dance.”

Jaune pulled her in towards him and swept her away to the dance floor. As a fast, poppy song spilled out of the speakers, Nora and Ren joined their teammates, the four of them dancing in a way that was _clearly_ rehearsed.

Ruby and Mercury stood back with everyone else, watching. Ruby smiled. “That’s so cute.” Then she noticed something that made her smile drop away.

Standing on the other side of the room, her arms crossed over her chest, Emerald was glaring at them.

* * *

 He was so doomed.

Mercury had been trying _really_ hard, all night, to keep these weird feelings for Ruby suppressed. He had to keep reminding himself, over and over, that his team was on a mission to destroy Beacon, and to _betray_ Ruby and her team. Specifically, his job was to gain her trust and keep her out of Cinder’s way. When their mission was at its climax, he would rip the rug out from under her and she would see who he truly was. She would realize that it had all been a lie.

“That’s so cute,” Ruby was saying as she watched her friends. He glanced down at her to see that she was smiling, and then, just like that, her smile disappeared. He followed her gaze to see what had upset her.

Emerald was standing across the room, glowering at them--or, more accurately, at Mercury. There was a warning in her red eyes that he didn’t appreciate.

“Um, Mercury?”

He looked back at Ruby, who was staring at her feet and chewing her bottom lip. “What?”

“I know it’s kind of a stupid question, and it’s not really any of my business anyway, but--” She was talking fast. She took a deep breath. “Is there something going on between you and Emerald?”

_Where the hell did_ that _come from?_

At first, Mercury could only stare at her, his brain not quite processing the question. He started laughing.

Ruby whipped her head around to glare at him. “What’s so funny?”

Mercury tried to form words, but he was laughing too hard to get any of them out. He doubled-over, clutching his stomach with both arms.

A few people standing nearby turned to stare, confused.

The blush spread to Ruby’s ears, her eyes wide and darting around the room. Embarrassed tears welling in her eyes, she started to walk away, passing Mercury.

He caught her by the wrist and pulled her back, turning her around to face him. His other arm encircled her waist and pulled her into him, trapping her against his body. He was smirking at her again.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, his voice low.

He felt her shiver in his arms, and she averted her eyes. “I-I was _leaving_.” There was a slight tremor in her voice. “You were laughing at me,” she added in a mumble.

He couldn’t help it--he rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t laughing at _you_ ,” he said. “I was laughing at what you _said_.”

She finally met his eyes, glaring. “What difference does that make?”

He ignored her question, regarding her with a look of amusement; there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Are you _jealous_?”

“What?” Her mouth fell open, her voice high and squeaky. “Wh-what makes you say that? Why I would be jealous?” She averted her eyes again and wiggled in his grasp, trying to get away.

He tightened his hold. “So, then why ask if there’s something going on with me and Emerald?”

“Th-that’s because… Um…” She increased her efforts of trying to get away, her eyes darting around the ballroom for either an answer or an escape.

He took her chin in his hand and tilted her head up. Surprised, her eyes returned to his, and this time they didn’t stray. His expression was solemn--all hint of playfulness was gone. “You have nothing to be jealous about,” he said, his voice low. These words were for her ears, and her ears only.

“You and Emerald--”

“Are just teammates,” he assured her. “We’re barely even friends.” He paused, then chuckled. “She hates me.” _And I’m not crazy about her, either._

Why was he even bothering to tell Ruby this?

He told himself it was just to keep her close. It was just to keep her from avoiding him and severing their newfound “friendship”.

_It’s for the mission,_ he thought. _It’s just so she won’t run out and ruin everything._

He wasn’t sure who he was lying to anymore: her or himself.

Ruby didn’t respond. She was staring into his eyes with a strange expression--one he didn’t recognize. He’d never had a girl look at him like that before.

He’d been with girls in the past, though never romantically; They looked at him with lust. On good days, Emerald looked at him with distaste--on bad days, hate. The way Cinder looked at him depended on her mood and what he had done recently, but usually, it was with a twisted sort of pride, like he was a properly trained dog or something.

The way Ruby was looking at him now though was unfamiliar to him. It was kind of like a look of awe, similar to the expression she had when she saw the corsage he gave her. But it was different.

His gaze fell to her lips; they looked so small and soft. She would probably taste sweet and fruity, like the punch they had drank earlier.

He knew it was dangerous--hell, it was downright _stupid_. He could hear his inner voice screaming again, could feel Emerald’s glare boring into his skull from across the room.

But he couldn’t back out now. If he did, he would never let himself get this close again.

* * *

 “You have nothing to be jealous about,” he had said, his voice low and serious.

“You and Emerald--” she began.

“Are just teammates,” he finished for her. “We’re barely even friends. She hates me,” he added with a chuckle.

She stared at him, unsure of how to respond. His eyes were honest as they stared into hers. She felt her heart do that fluttery thing again, her stomach tied into knots. She felt light, like she would float up to the ceiling if he let go of her.

It was then that she realized how close they were.

Her hands were braced against his chest, her knees wobbling (though she couldn’t tell if this was because of her heels or him). He had an arm wrapped around her, keeping her pressed against him, his other hand still holding her chin.

She saw his eyes shift down. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and caught her breath. She’d never kissed anyone before.

The world around them fell away once again as he leaned in. The bubble around them reformed. She let her eyes slip shut.

There was a brief moment where nothing happened, and she could feel his hesitation.

And then he kissed her.

* * *

 It was the fastest, sweetest kiss he’d ever had, and he meant _sweet_ literally. The word flooded his senses--she _smelled_ sweet (like strawberries), she _tasted_ sweet (like punch).

The kiss lasted one, maybe two, seconds, and then Ruby pulled away and looked down. Mercury actually _worried_ for a second that he’d done something wrong.

But then she looked back up at him with a small, sheepish smile on her face and he figured that she must have gotten shy. He hated how endearing he thought it was.

He wondered if she always reacted to being kissed like that. There was no way that that was her _first_ kiss, right?

_Adorable girl like her? Nah._

“So, um,” Ruby stammered awkwardly. “Want to ‘spar’ again?”

Before Mercury could respond, he felt it. A sort of _shift_ in the bond, and his mark began to burn, though not as intensely as when it was first formed. His head started to ache.

He heard a quiet gasp escape Ruby and knew she must have been feeling the same thing. He noticed a light from underneath the black mesh top of her dress and realized that her soulmark was glowing.

The two pulled away from each other and held their heads. Mercury grit his teeth through the pain, his fingernails digging into his scalp. He heard Ruby whimpering next to him.

A second later, it was over. The burning faded, their marks ceased to glow, and the pain in their heads was reduced to a dull, bearable throb. But the bond still felt different, like it had changed somehow. _He_ felt different--more specifically, his _mind_ felt different.

“What was _that_?” Mercury asked, his teeth still clenched.

“I don’t know,” Ruby replied in a near-whisper.

* * *

 Ruby frowned thoughtfully. Something in their bond had just changed, that much was obvious. She could feel it even now--the difference in the bond, like it was stronger or something.

Ozpin hadn’t said anything about an event like this happening, did he? Ruby went over the conversation in her head, thinking carefully about everything he’d said.

_“However, your auras being connected does come with a few side effects.”_

_“Side effects?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“Such as?”_

_“Telepathy, the ability to communicate with each other via your thoughts. The ability to feel what the other person is feeling. And the ability to share your dreams with each other.”_

Ruby looked at Mercury. How would they know if they had unlocked a new side effect?

If it were the dreams, they wouldn’t know until they went to sleep tonight, so Ruby put that one to the side for now, and thought of a way to test out the other two possibilities.

_The ability to feel what the other person is feeling._

She focused on Mercury, on the bond, and tried to see if she could sense anything from him. All she got was a weird look as he raised an eyebrow at her. Blushing, she looked away.

That left only one more possibility.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the super late update, everyone! Life has been busy and this chapter has been a major pain in my ass, but here it is! Finally. I promise that I'll do my best to get the next chapter out much faster! Until next time~


	7. Warnings

Ruby was staring at him with an expression of concentration. He raised a questioning eyebrow at her, and she blushed and looked away again. He would have found the moment comical if he hadn’t been internally panicking.

Mercury was trying to figure out what had changed in the bond. It felt different, but he couldn’t explain how, and it was driving him insane.

“Mercury?”

Ruby’s voice cut through his thoughts, tentative and quiet. Annoyed, his first instinct was to glare at her.

“What?” he snapped, his teeth clenched.

Her eyes went wide, nearly bugging out of their sockets, and he immediately regretted the outburst. As unpleasant as apologizing was, he didn’t have a choice here; he was supposed to stay on her good side.

“I’m sorry,” he said, releasing an irritated sigh. The words felt strange on his tongue; had he ever apologized before? Probably not. “Listen, I’m just--”

“You can hear me?” she interrupted, sounding astonished.

Now he was really losing his patience. What the hell had gotten into her?

“What are you talking about? Of course I can hear you.”

Ruby stared back at him, mouth open in an ‘o’ shape. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake an explanation out of her.

“Ruby--”

“Did you guys know that you’re bleeding?”

Emerald was pushing her way through the crowd on the dance floor to get to them, and that’s when Mercury noticed just how many people were watching them, their expressions filled with a mix of confusion and horror.

He looked down at himself with a frown. He didn’t see any blood. “What are you talking about?”

Emerald pointed to his back, and he twisted his head around to look. The jacket of his tux was black, so it was kind of hard to see, but there was a dark stain spreading across his back from where his soulmark was located.

Ruby gasped. She was looking over her shoulder, at her own mark; blood was running down her back from the mark. She looked back at Mercury, her eyes wide with panic. “We should go to the infirmary.”

“You go on ahead,” Emerald said before Mercury could reply. She rested a hand on his shoulder, and Ruby’s eyes zeroed in on it. “He’ll meet up with you.”

Ruby didn’t respond. She pressed her lips together in a thin line, apprehension replacing the panic in her eyes.

Mercury offered her a reassuring smile. “I’ll be right behind you.”

Ruby nodded, though she still didn’t look pleased. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll see you there, then.” She turned on her heel and walked out.

As soon as she was gone, Emerald released Mercury’s shoulder to slap his arm as hard as she could.

“What are you _doing_?” she hissed, struggling to keep her voice low. “What was that?”

“Ow!” Mercury glared at her, rubbing the spot she had hit. “What’s your deal?”

“ _My_ deal? What is _your_ deal? I saw that kiss.”

Mercury didn’t say anything. His eyes darted around the room, searching the sea of faces around them. Most of the other students had returned to dancing or talking amongst themselves, but a few were sneaking curious glances at Mercury and Emerald.

He grabbed Emerald by the arm and dragged her outside, away from prying eyes and ears. There were hardly any people outside of the ballroom, and most of them were occupied with their dates.

“I only did that to keep her close,” Mercury told her, releasing her arm. “She was getting of jealous of you; she thought we were together. What was I supposed to do?”

Emerald’s crimson eyes narrowed. “You could have just told her we weren’t an item. Why was kissing her your first instinct?”

Mercury rolled his eyes. “It was reassurance, Em. I can’t have her doubting me and run the risk of her pushing me away.” A slow smirk began to spread across his face. “Why does this bother you so much, anyway? Are _you_ jealous now?”

Emerald made a noise of disgust and scowled at him. “I just don’t want you messing up our plan because you have a crush on the enemy.”

“I do _not_ have a crush on Ruby,” Mercury insisted. “I told you, I’m just keeping her close. Besides, what’s the harm in having a little fun on the side?”

“ _Ugh_.” Emerald shook her head. “Just go to the infirmary. Your _girlfriend_ is probably waiting for you.”

“She’s not my--”

Before he could even get the rest out, Emerald had already returned to the ballroom.

With a huff, Mercury turned and began to walk away from the building. He got ten feet away before he realized that the didn’t know where the infirmary was.

He pushed his hand through his hair and grimaced at the ground, wondering how he was going to find it. And then he remembered the bond.

He thought about Ruby. She’d gone ahead of him and was probably already there.

The bond responded to his thoughts, and he followed its pull.

* * *

 Ruby stepped out into the chilly, evening air. She could still feel the wetness of her own blood sliding down her back, and shivered. She should probably hurry.

She glanced over her shoulder back into the ballroom, unable to see Mercury and Emerald through the crowd.

Though Mercury has assured her that there was nothing going on between him and Emerald, she still didn’t like leaving them alone together.

She shook her head, trying to force the jealous thoughts out of it. They were teammates, most likely partners with how much time they spent together. This jealousy was irrational, and it hurt unnecessarily. She needed to let it go, and trust him.

Besides, Mercury had kissed her tonight. If that wasn’t proof enough that he felt the same way about her that she felt about him, then what would be?

The kiss. Her face began to feel warm just thinking about it. She reached up, brushing the tips of her fingers against her lips, reliving the memory in her head.

It was her _first_ kiss. And it had been perfect.

She dropped her hand back to her side. _Right, I’ve got to get to the infirmary and get this cleaned up._

Movement across the street caught her eye, and she looked up to see the figure of a person running along the rooftops. Her eyes followed it until it disappeared behind one of the buildings.

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, she decided that a trip to the nurse’s office would have to wait.

* * *

She followed the figure to the CCT, only a couple of minutes behind.

Whatever the figure was doing at the tower, it couldn’t be good. It should have been empty, save for a few guards; everyone was at the dance. It was closed.

As she carefully crept toward the entrance, her eyes scanned the exterior of the building. She noticed something in the bushes, and stepped closer, squinting to get a better look.

She recoiled with a gasp. It was a guard--unconscious and half-hidden by the foliage. This just confirmed it: whoever this person was, they didn’t have good intentions.

Briefly, she considered going back to the ballroom to get help, but quickly pushed the idea out of her mind. They wouldn’t make it back in time to catch the intruder. It was up to her.

Ruby pulled out her scroll and dialed her coordinates. Not a minute later, her locker crashed into the ground a few feet behind her, the door automatically swinging open to reveal Crescent Rose.

Armed with her weapon, Ruby made her way inside the tower.

* * *

 Mercury frowned up at the tower. Why was the bond leading him _here_? Surely, the infirmary wasn’t inside--that wouldn’t make any sense. What was Ruby doing here?

She shouldn’t be here, not tonight. It was closed. That was the whole reason Cinder had chosen tonight to infiltrate it.

He tested the bond again, hoping that he’d made a wrong turn. But the bond pulled him forward, in the direction of the tower.

 _Dammit, Ruby,_ he thought, and rushed inside.

* * *

 The elevator doors opened with a mechanical hiss. Ruby clutched Crescent Rose--now in full scythe form--with both hands and stepped out of the elevator.

The first thing she noticed was the beeping. All of the monitors in the room were on, glowing a pale green.

“Hello?” she called out, taking slow and careful steps forward, heels clicking against the tile floor. She stumbled once, almost falling face-first to the floor, and glared down at her heels.

_Stupid--_

She forced herself to stay focused.

“Is anyone there?” she called. “Hello?”

A figure suddenly rose up from behind the main desk--a woman dressed in all black and a masquerade mask, long, black hair flowing down over one shoulder, and amber eyes that Ruby found strangely familiar.

“Excuse me?” Ruby tilted her head. “You know, it’s not a masquerade party. So why don’t you take off that--”

Before she could finish, the woman whipped out her left hand, producing a small container of dust. Ice shards formed in the air in front of her, and she sent them flying at Ruby.

Ruby, caught off-guard by the sudden attack, quickly moved to block the shards by spinning her weapon around in front of her like a fan. She aimed Crescent Rose at the woman and fired.

The woman held up her hand, her clothes glowing orange as she blocked the bullets. Two blades then formed in her hands, and the glowing in her clothes faded.

Ruby spun her weapon around, aiming at the floor behind her, and used the recoil of her shot to propel herself forward. She swung her scythe down towards the woman, but the woman jumped out of the way, and Ruby’s blade struck the floor.

The woman did a backflip into the air and connected her swords to form a bow. She aimed three arrows at Ruby, her outfit once again glowing orange as she released them.

The arrows struck the ground at Ruby’s feet and exploded, the blast sending her flying backwards through the room. Her back slammed against the wall, knocking the wind from her lungs.

She fell to the floor, landing awkwardly on her feet, and felt a sharp pain cut through her left ankle. She would have cried out, had she had the breath to. She crumpled to the floor.

The woman’s heels clicked against the floor, and Ruby raised her head. The woman was approaching, her amber eyes glowing, a triumphant smirk on her face.

Ruby’s heart pounded as she sat there, her silver eyes wide. Her ankle was injured, and she felt weak; she could do nothing more than wait for the woman to finish her off. Frightened tears brimmed in her eyes.

The elevator doors opened. Both women turned.

Ruby was surprised to see Mercury step into the room, his dark grey eyes searching. When they found her, they widened with alarm, and he hurried toward her.

“Ruby!”

“Be careful!” Ruby called out, holding up a hand to stop him. He did, his expression confused. “There’s an intruder,” she warned him. “And she’s _strong_.”

“Intruder?” Mercury looked around the room, frowning. “What are you talking about, Ruby? We’re the only ones here.”

Ruby blinked, turning to the spot where the woman had been standing just a few seconds ago. She was gone.

But… How?

Mercury was by her side now, kneeling in front of her and looking her over as though he were searching for wounds. She could see the concern plain on his face.

“I’m fine,” she assured him, her voice sad. She let her gaze fall to her lap. “I just wish I could have caught her.”

Mercury was quiet for a moment. Then, “Can you stand?”

Remembering the injury to her ankle, Ruby shook her head. “Not yet,” she replied. “I sprained my ankle in the fight, but my aura should have it fully healed in a few minutes.”

A small smile graced his face. “I’ll wait with you, then.”

She smiled back at him. “Thanks.”

Mercury moved to sit next to her, leaning his back against the wall and stretching his long legs out in front of him. She shifted, copying his position.

For a couple of minutes, they both sat there in silence. Ruby played with the hem of her dress, trying to think of something to say.

Mercury was the one who broke the silence, a hint of anger in his tone.

“What you did tonight… was _stupid_.”

Ruby blinked, looking up at him with a dumbfounded expression. “What?”

“This”--he swept his arm out toward the room--“was dangerous, Ruby. You could have gotten killed.”

Anger flared inside her. She glared at him. “I was doing what a huntress would do,” she argued. “I am training to be one, you know.”

“Yeah, _training_ ,” Mercury replied hotly. “You’re not a huntress yet.”

He sounded like her dad, and that annoyed her. She knew she had done the right thing. If she had gone for help instead, they wouldn’t have made it on time. It had been up to her.

But he was right, too. She wasn’t a huntress yet; she was a _huntress_ - _in-training_. She could have gotten killed tonight--in fact, she almost did. If he hadn’t shown up…   

But she wasn’t ready to admit it yet.

She crossed her arms over chest with an indignant huff. “Whatever,” she snapped, turning her face away from him. She then added, in a mumble, “You’re not my dad.”

The air between them was tense as they sat there, silently fuming at each other. Ruby wished that her ankle would hurry up and heal so she could get out of here.

She heard Mercury sigh. Then, in an unexpectedly light and teasing tone, he said, “That would have made that kiss pretty awkward, huh?”

Ruby’s head whipped around to gape at him in shock. Her face was red as her dress.

Mercury winked at her, and she felt her brain short-circuit. She quickly turned away, returning her gaze to her lap, trying to hide her face with her hair.

He chuckled quietly at her reaction. “I was really worried about you, Ruby,” he said in a soft voice--so soft that she almost didn’t hear him. She peeked at him through the red strands of her hair.

His face was solemn and he wasn’t looking at her. He was staring at his feet, and she could have swore she saw the slightest hint of blush in his cheeks.

And then he reached over and rested his hand lightly on her bare knee. His skin was warm, and his touch made her skin tingle. She stared at it, the butterfly in her chest fluttering around wildly.

She rested her hand on top of his, giving it a gentle squeeze. She raised her head to look at him fully.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice just as soft as his had been.

Mercury met her gaze. As soon as their eyes met, Ruby felt that  _pull_. The bond was trying to pull her toward him, prompting her to lean in. So she did.

Then he was leaning in, too.

The moment was interrupted by the sound of the elevator doors opening once again. They recoiled back and ripped their hands away from each other as if they'd been shocked, and looked up to see who had entered, their faces feeling intensely hot.

General Ironwood stepped into the room, spotting them almost immediately. He started marching towards them. “What are you two doing here?”

“General Ironwood!” Ruby squeaked, her nervousness clear in her voice. “I--I can explain.”

The general loomed over them, his expression stern. “Alright, then. Explain.”

Ruby launched into her tale, starting with seeing the figure on the rooftops and ending with Mercury finding her.

Ironwood was still and silent as he listened, a living statue. When she was finished, his cold, hard eyes turned to Mercury.

“And what about you? It’s awfully convenient that you showed up when you did.”

Mercury explained his part of the story, starting with the bond’s change and ending with the bond leading him to the CCT.

“Bond?” Ironwood questioned.

“We’re soulmates,” Ruby explained. “It’s hard to--”

“Ah, I understand.” Ironwood pulled out his scroll. “You two stay here. I’m going to call Ozpin.”

* * *

 Mercury hated a lot of things, but the one thing he hated most was being _vulnerable._

As far as he was concerned, vulnerability was a weakness to be used against you. On top of that, being vulnerable in front of someone was just plain embarrassing.

But it felt… _safe_ to be vulnerable in front of Ruby. He felt like he could show that side of him to her and she wouldn’t judge him or mock him, like Emerald undoubtedly would. He didn’t feel weak or embarrassed--Okay, maybe a little embarrassed. The whole "having deep feelings"  thing was new to him, and he still hadn’t decided if he was enjoying the experience.

It was wrong, getting this close to her, feeling this way about her. Sure, he was supposed to be getting close to Ruby and gaining her trust, but he was nearing the danger zone now and it was too late to turn back. He was _too_ close. Emerald had a right to be concerned.

That pissed him off--he hated it when she was right.

No, he wasn’t going to screw this up for them. He couldn’t afford to let his feelings get in the way of their plans; Cinder would melt him down to nothing if he did. His feelings for Ruby didn’t matter. They were always going to be on opposite sides.

Fate is cruel.

* * *

 When Ozpin arrived, Mercury and Ruby recounted their stories, starting with the incident at the dance and ending with Mercury finding Ruby in the tower. As they talked, the headmaster listened patiently, nodding along.

“It would seem that your bond has grown stronger,” he said when they had finished. “You may have unlocked a new ability.”

Mercury frowned at that. He’d suspected as much, but he was hoping his suspicions were wrong.

“I kinda figured that out already,” Ruby said, taking both men by surprise.

“When?” Mercury asked her.

“At the dance.”

“How did you figure out, Miss Rose?” Ozpin asked.

Instead of answering, Ruby addressed Mercury. “Do you remember when I asked you if you could hear me?”

Mercury narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like where this was going. “Yeah.”

“Well, uh… I didn’t ask you that out loud.”

His mind went blank. _Huh?_

The headmaster nodded knowingly. “Telepathy, the ability to share your thoughts with another person--in this case, your soulmate.”

_You’ve got to be fucking kidding me._

Mercury tensed, hoping Ruby didn’t hear that. He gave her a quick side-glance, relaxing when he saw that she either hadn’t heard it or ignored it.

Mercury decided to voice his concerns. “Does this mean we can read each other’s minds?”

To his relief, Ozpin shook his head. “No,” he answered. “Your soulmate can only hear the thoughts you send to them.”

_Whew._

“To send a thought to your soulmate, you must focus your mind on the other person, try to reach out to them through the bond,” Ozpin explained. “It’s not unlike using the bond as a compass--the process is very similar. It should be rather easy to get used to.”

As Mercury took in this information, he began to grow suspicious of the old man. How did he know so much about the bond and how to use it? Were the reports he had on the soulbond that detailed?

Before he could even think of asking about it, Ironwood stepped in.

“Ozpin,” he said. “We should really talk to them about the intruder; we need more information.”

“Not tonight,” Ozpin replied with a firm shake of his head. When the general opened his mouth to protest, Ozpin cut him off. “They’ve had a very long night. They’re covered in blood and exhausted. They need to rest first.” He turned back to the students. “I’m going to have to ask that you both come to my office first thing in the morning.”

“Yes, Professor,” Ruby replied obediently.

Mercury repressed a groan. Why did _he_ have to go? He hadn’t even been here. Unfortunately for him, it would have been too suspicious to refuse, so he kept his mouth shut.

“Can you walk?” he asked Ruby.

“I think so,” she replied, and tried to stand, resulting her to yelp in pain and fall back to the floor.

Ozpin stepped toward her, worried. “Miss Rose, what’s wrong?”

“It’s my ankle.” Ruby’s eyes were watery. “I think I sprained it in the fight. But I don’t understand--my aura should have healed it by now.”

“Sprains can take a little longer than most other injuries to heal completely,” Ozpin explained. “Especially bad ones. All the more reason for you to stop by the infirmary on the way to your dorm.”

“I’ll help you walk,” Mercury offered. He took her wrist and pulled her left arm over his shoulders, wrapping his other arm around her waist for support. He pulled her up with him, and she was careful not to put too much weight on her left foot.

She leaned into his side with a sigh, and Mercury’s stomach did this weird fluttery thing it never had before. “Thank you, Mercury.”

* * *

 Mercury helped Ruby sit down on the stairs just outside of the tower. She handed him Crescent Rose and he returned it to her locker. She sent it back to the school.

When Mercury returned to her side, he didn’t help her stand again. Instead, he picked her up, bridal style.

She let out a startled squeak, her cheeks turning a deep red. Her silver eyes were comically big as she stared up at him in surprise. “Wh--What are you doing?”

He flashed her a smirk. “It’s easier this way,” he replied. “It’ll take us forever to get to the infirmary if we do it the other way.”

Ruby was about to protest, but decided against it. It was as if the aftermath of everything that had happened to her that night came crashing down all at once. She felt tired and weak, her ankle was injured, and her stupid heels had given her toes blisters.

Besides, being in Mercury’s arms felt nice. The way he was cradling her against his chest made her feel safe. And his body heat was keeping her warm against the evening chill. She snuggled against his chest, feeling his heart thump against her ear, and closed her eyes. A small, soft smile lit up her face.

“Uh, Ruby?”

She opened her eyes again and looked up at him.

“I still don’t know where the infirmary is.”

* * *

 The nurse looked up from her desk as they entered, her eyes widening slightly as she took in their appearances. “Oh, my,” she murmured, rising from her desk. “What happened to you two?”

“The bond got stronger,” Mercury replied.

The nurse’s eyes flicked down to Ruby, who was still cradled against his chest, and she raised an eyebrow.

Ruby suddenly wished she could stand on her own. “I sprained my ankle.”

The nurse gestured to the row of beds. “Sit,” she ordered them. She walked to the back of the room and began rummaging through her supply cabinet.

Mercury set Ruby down on one of the beds, then sat on the edge of the one opposite her. A moment later, the nurse approached them with arms full of supplies; she dropped them on the edge of Ruby’s bed, then straightened.

“Alright,” she said. “Which one of you is first?”

Mercury nodded to Ruby. “Ladies first.”

Thanks to Ruby’s dress being sleeveless, cleaning the blood off of her mark was an easy task. She rubbed some sort of ointment over it, then covered it with a thick bandage. She instructed Ruby not to take it off until morning. Before moving on to Mercury, she addressed Ruby’s ankle.

“You mentioned that it’s sprained?”

“Yes. I fell.” She gave the heels on her feet a dirty look.

The nurse hummed and picked up a roll of ACE bandages. She wrapped it around Ruby’s ankle and secured it. “Keep it elevated for the rest of the night,” she told her. “Your aura should have it fully healed by morning.”

“Thank you,” Ruby said.

The nurse smiled at her, then turned to Mercury. “Your turn. You’ll have to remove your shirt and jacket. Would you like me to pull the curtain?” She reached up, her fingertips brushing the edge of the curtain that separated the beds.

Mercury looked Ruby straight in the eye as he answered her, his lips curving into a mischievous smirk. “Nah. I’m not shy.”

The nurse shrugged. “Alright, then. Off.”

Ruby tried not to watch. She turned her head and focused on the wall across the room. It didn’t take long for her to cave into curiosity, and she found her eyes sliding back to him.

He had removed his jacket and shirt as the nurse had commanded, the nurse busy cleaning the blood off from around his mark. His head was bowed, hiding his face. Her eyes fell to his chest.

His chest looked smooth, not a hair in sight. He was lean and quite toned; though he fought primarily with his feet, his upper body clearly hadn’t been neglected. It was no wonder he was able to carry Ruby as though she weighed as much as a puppy. He looked strong.

Heat flooded her cheeks for the upteenth time that night; one of these days, her face would turn permanently red.

As the nurse reached for the container of ointment, Mercury raised his head, and immediately caught Ruby staring.

 _Like what you see?_ His voice slid through her mind, loud and clear. He winked.

Ruby whipped her head back around. _I--I wasn’t looking!_

 _Sure, you weren’t._ He didn’t sound at all like he believed her.

It was weird, talking to him in her head like that. More weird than that, it felt _natural_ , like they’d been doing it for years.

Ruby bit down on her bottom lip. She refused to turn back around until Mercury was fully clothed.

“You’re free to go,” the nurse told them. She looked at Ruby. “Miss Rose, maybe it would be best if you rest here tonight. Your ankle will be fully healed in the morning; if you stay here, it’ll save you the trouble of trying to walk back to your dorm tonight.”

Ruby nodded. “Okay.”

She didn’t want to return to her dorm tonight, anyway. If she did, she’d have to face her teammates and explain what happened tonight, and she didn’t know how much she could tell them yet.

The nurse dismissed Mercury and returned to her desk, but Mercury didn’t leave right away.

“We meet Ozpin in the morning, right? Do you want to meet at the statue again?” he asked Ruby.

“Sure,” she replied.

“Cool. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” Before he left, he leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to Ruby’s forehead. The gesture caught her off-guard, and he was out the door before she could react.

* * *

 Mercury took a shower as soon as he returned to the dorms. Then he dressed in his pajamas, brushed his teeth, and returned to his room.

All he wanted to do now was sleep. This night had been exhausting in more ways than one, and he was ready for it to be over. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy.

Cinder and Emerald were waiting for him when he opened the door. Emerald sat on her bed, her arms crossed over her chest; Cinder sat at the desk, one leg crossed over the other. They were both still wearing their prom dresses--Cinder’s was long and black, sparkly, with a slit travelling up the right side. Right now, with her legs crossed, the slit revealed enough of her leg to make any guy drool, and he struggled to keep his eyes on her face.

“Mercury.” She said his name slowly, her voice quiet.

Mercury tensed. She looked--and even sounded--calm, but he could tell--she was pissed.

“I thought you were to distract your little soulmate at the dance tonight,” she continued. “So, why then, was she at the CCT?”

“She noticed you on the rooftops and followed you,” Mercury answered, keeping his voice steady. He wasn’t about to let her know just how much she frightened him.

“And _why_ did she follow me? Why was she _allowed_ to follow me?” Cinder’s voice began to rise with every word, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

Mercury was tired. He was tired of being scared of Cinder, he was tired of these stupid feelings that had gotten him in trouble with her, and he was tired of this interrogation.

“Well, maybe I would have been able to stop her,” he said, “if _Emerald_ hadn’t held me back.”

Emerald’s head snapped up, crimson eyes wide with fury. He’d thrown her under the bus.

Cinder turned her burning gaze on the thief.

“I _had_ to pull him away!” Emerald exclaimed. “He’s putting our mission at risk. He’s falling in love with Ruby.”

“Oh?” Cinder’s gaze returned to him.

For a moment, he was frozen. He should have expected that, but he hadn’t been thinking straight, and now he was struggling to come up with a defense.

“I’m not falling in love with her,” he argued. “I’m _playing_ her. I’m stringing her along, making her think that I care, so she’ll trust me. I’m doing my job. It’s an _act_.”

Emerald didn’t look convinced. “Right.”

“Enough.” Cinder rose from her chair and stepped between them. “I don’t care what Mercury does with Ruby, as long as he remembers where his true loyalties lie.” She fixed him with her amber gaze, her eyes beginning to glow in warning.

Mercury ground his teeth together. “Of course.”

“I’m disappointed in your failure tonight,” she continued. “I expect you to do better from now on. If anything like this were to happen again…” She raised her hand and a small flame ignited on her palm, licking at the air. “...we’ll need to have a more _serious_ talk.”

Mercury didn’t react to the threat. “I understand.”

“Good.” The flame disappeared, and she lowered her hand back to her side. She started for the door. “Get ready for bed, Emerald.”

“Cinder.”

She stopped, looking at Mercury over her shoulder.

“The bond got stronger tonight,” he admitted. “We’re able to talk to each other through our thoughts now. Telepathy.”

He’d been debating on whether or not to share this information with her. The bond getting stronger wasn’t exactly a good thing, and he didn’t know how she would react to the telepathy news, either. But he couldn’t risk hiding anything from her.

“Is that going to be a problem?” she asked.

“No. She can’t read my mind all the time, only the thoughts I send to her. That’s how Ozpin explained it anyway.” The mention of Ozpin reminded him of something. “Speaking of,” he added. “Ruby and I are supposed to meet him in his office tomorrow, to talk about what happened in the tower.”

Cinder turned to face him fully. “And what are you going to tell him?”

“There isn’t much to tell,” Mercury replied. “I didn’t get there until the fight was over. I didn’t even see you.”

“Good. Report to me when you return.” With that, she left the room.

Once she was gone, Emerald crossed the room to stand in front of him, hate and suspicion filling her eyes.

“You’re not as good at hiding your feelings as you think, Mercury,” she said, her voice low, a hidden threat behind her words.

Mercury narrowed his eyes, and he mimicked the tone of her voice. “Mind your own business, Emerald.”

She didn’t back down. “You’re putting us all risk.”

“I know what I have to do and I'll have no problem doing it.”

“You’re looking forward to breaking your little rose’s heart?” she taunted.

“Do you really think that _I_ could actually care about someone’s feelings other than my own?”

The two stared each other down, neither willing to back down. Mercury wasn’t sure for how long they stayed like that--it felt like an hour, but was most likely only a few seconds.

“Whatever,” Emerald said, finally giving up. “You better not screw this up.” She pushed past him, roughly hitting his shoulder with her own. She slammed the door shut behind her.

Finally alone, Mercury walked over to the nearest wall and, with a yell of frustration, slammed his fist into it.


End file.
